Anambra state has set a 2030 deadline to digitise every government entity in the state as it seeks to move more public services online and extend digital access to rural communities.
Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, managing director and chief executive officer of the Anambra State ICT Agency, said the state’s next phase of digital transformation would focus on e-governance, smart government, digital infrastructure and the use of emerging technologies to improve public services.
‘My core vision is that we would have digitised every single government entity in Anambra State,’ Agbata said during an online media engagement on Thursday.
The target marks a shift in the state’s technology strategy from building basic digital infrastructure to using it to deliver government services, support businesses and improve how residents interact with government.
Agbata said the agency, under its 2.0 agenda, is building websites for ministries, departments and agencies while adding functions that allow residents to access actual government services online.
‘We are building websites for all the MDAs. We are also automating them to be able to carry out services and give government support and government services through their websites,’ he said.
The move is intended to reduce the need for residents to travel to Awka or other government offices for services that can be initiated or completed online.
Early usage of the Smart Anambra platform is already pointing to demand for such services. Agbata said the platform recorded about 14,000 visits between July 9 and July 29, an average of about 700 visits a day, despite limited publicity.
The platform is being connected to services spanning hospitals, schools and other government processes, with the goal of allowing residents to start applications remotely, complete forms online and only appear physically where necessary.
‘What the data is already showing us is that we really need to build a system that allows people to actually get government services remotely,’ Agbata said.
Rural connectivity remains a hurdle
The state’s 2030 digital ambition, however, faces a major infrastructure challenge outside urban centres.
Agbata said rural connectivity remained weak because telecommunications operators are often reluctant to invest in communities where the commercial returns do not justify deployment costs.
The state is therefore considering partnerships that could allow it to use Federal Government infrastructure and support from the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to extend connectivity to underserved communities.
‘We understand what digital inclusion means because we are dealing directly with these communities,’ he said.
The push is important to the state’s digital-government strategy because online public services cannot reach residents who lack reliable access to mobile networks or broadband.
Anambra wants rural residents to benefit from digital government regardless of where they live, making connectivity a key part of the state’s broader digital transformation programme.
SMEs targeted
The government is also linking digitalisation to business formalisation, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the state’s major markets.
Agbata said the ICT Agency was working with the Ministry of Commerce to explore ways of bringing more informal businesses into the formal digital economy.
‘One of the biggest challenges that we have is that SMEs are not formalised enough,’ he said.
The strategy could make digital platforms a gateway for businesses to interact with government, access support and participate more fully in the formal economy.
The agency also plans to deepen digital skills and education programmes, including initiatives linked to Smart Schools and broader capacity development.
Paperless government to come gradually
While the State Executive Council already operates a paperless system, Agbata said the government was unlikely to declare the entire civil service fully paperless immediately.
He said selected ministries, departments and agencies could instead serve as pilots for deeper digital transformation, with paper and digital processes operating alongside each other during the transition.
‘What might happen is a dual situation,’ he said.
Cybersecurity and public trust will also be important as more government services move online, according to Agbata.
He said the state’s transformation would require cooperation among government agencies, technology companies, telecommunications operators and local technology manufacturers.
He cited the procurement of about 2,000 computers from indigenous technology company Zinox as an example of the state’s engagement with local technology providers.
For Anambra, the challenge over the next four years will be to turn its digital infrastructure into services that residents can actually use, while solving the connectivity, skills, funding and trust gaps that could slow adoption.
Agbata said the ultimate goal was to create a state where residents and businesses can increasingly interact with government digitally and where technology plays a larger role in economic development.
The 2030 deadline now gives the state a clear benchmark against which its digital-government progress can be measured.