Elochukwu Benjamin
Awka
The Anambra State ICT Agency has completed digital assessments in about 25 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as part of efforts to strengthen e-governance and improve technology adoption across the state’s public service.
The exercise, led by the agency’s MDA and Compliance Unit, covered key institutions, including the Ministries of Justice, Education, Agriculture, and Commerce and Industry.
During the assessments, officials reviewed the functionality of government websites, use of official email platforms, digital systems for records, payments and approvals, online service delivery, data management, cybersecurity practices and compliance with the state’s ICT standards.
Speaking on the exercise, the Unit Lead, Chinyelu Odigbo, said the agency’s goal is to obtain a clear picture of how government institutions are performing digitally and identify areas requiring intervention.
“Government does not run on assumptions. It runs on evidence. These MDA visits are how the agency builds that evidence, one institution at a time,” she said.
Odigbo noted that the findings would enable the ICT Agency to make informed decisions on improving digital governance across the state.
She disclosed that preliminary observations showed some MDAs were still uncertain about compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, while records management practices differed significantly across institutions.
According to her, the exercise is not intended as a one-off inspection, as the agency will continue to monitor identified gaps, support compliance efforts and work with designated ICT focal persons in each MDA.
She added that the ongoing assessments are helping the agency prioritise training, technical support and other interventions while developing a digital maturity scorecard to guide future reforms across Anambra’s public institutions.
