MDAs effort to adopt technology needs support — Experts

Civil society organisations have said that government agencies’ efforts to use technology to enhance public service delivery need civil society support to become more impactful and effective.

BudgIT and Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria noted this while announcing their plans to host the Technology, New Media, Citizens and Governance Conference (TNCG) in Lagos.

The conference, which has been rebranded from its former name, ‘New Media, Citizens, and Governance Conference’ will focus on the theme ‘Technology: The Present and Future of Political Action in Africa’ and examine the growing influence of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), on governance across the continent.

Gabriel Okeowo, country director of BudgIT, said, “At BudgIT, we’ve observed that some government agencies are increasingly open to using technology to enhance public service delivery. While there’s still progress to be made, with support from civil society, these efforts can become more impactful and effective.”

The organisers noted that the conference has secured participation from thought leaders, civic actors, academics, private sector players, and government officials such as Yemi Osinbajo, former vice president of Nigeria, Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, and Mondli Gungubele, deputy minister of Communications and Digital Technologies of South Africa.

Opeyemi Adamolekun, the executive director of EiE Nigeria, added, “Technology has given ordinary Nigerians unprecedented power to hold their leaders accountable and shape public discourse. The TNCG Conference will explore how we can continue to harness these tools to deepen political engagement and drive systemic reforms that strengthen democracy.”

The organisers noted that, in collaboration with TASCK, a creative talent management organisation, a pitch session for content creators would be held to make governance issues more accessible and engaging. The top two creators will receive awards in cash and kind for their innovative contributions.