The Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) is targeting the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in public service, as more than 80 per cent of federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) now have functional websites.
Director-General of the bureau, Dr Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the inauguration of the Inter-Ministerial Technical Team (IMTT) for the 2026 Federal Government Websites Ranking Exercise.
Arabi said the proportion of MDAs with functional websites had risen from less than 30 per cent when the ranking began, adding that the bureau was targeting 100 per cent within the next one to two years.
‘We are not looking at only paperless. We are looking at the adoption of the use of AI in delivering public service,’ he said.
He added: ‘We’re hoping that in the next one or two years, all of us will be there. So everybody’s going to score 100 per cent.’
Arabi explained that the website ranking exercise was introduced to make government information and services more accessible to citizens.
‘The quickest and the easiest way for citizens to engage with government is through their website,’ he said.
He noted that MDAs were expected to provide accurate information, working telephone numbers and email addresses, as well as platforms for citizens to make Freedom of Information requests electronically.
Arabi said the government also wanted Nigerians to transact business with MDAs online without travelling to government offices.
He explained that the 2026 ranking would use automated technology to assess MDA websites, adding that the exercise would also help government generate data on its activities, achievements and plans.
He noted that the exercise, now in its seventh edition, would involve private-sector participation in the assessment process.
Director of GovTech Africa, Mr Fortune Toma, said the automation would allow MDA websites to be assessed continuously over several weeks rather than through a one-off manual assessment.
He explained that the system would record findings while allowing IMTT members to review areas requiring human judgment.
Toma noted that increased digitisation also required stronger cybersecurity measures to protect government infrastructure.
‘Obviously, the attacks will now move from physical attacks to cyber attacks,’ he said.
He added that MDAs needed to set standards, monitor their digital infrastructure and conduct compliance checks to protect government systems.