By Jessica Dogo

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, says the standardised design for federal and state governments websites will improve citizens’ engagements and trust for government.

Tijani said this at the opening of a two-day workshop on co-creation of a national standardised web design for public institutions on Friday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop, organised by the ministry and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), was funded by the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation.

The minister highlighted the need for technology-enabled channels to facilitate seamless interactions between citizens and government.

He said that trust in government was tied to the desire for better service delivery, adding that technology is a critical pathway to achieving this.

According to him, it is not just about websites but the entire way in which we use technology.

He said that in some countries, trust between government and citizens was high, attributing it to the effective use of technology.

He further explained that in such countries, governments use technology to provide services to people in all parts, especially where it is the only way to reach them.

“We all know that there is a strong challenge of trust deficit all over the world, and one major thing is the desire by people for their government to serve them better.

“What we have seen over the years is that there is a strong platform and pathway to being able to serve people better and that is technology.

“When we talk about technology, many people do not actually understand the depth and importance of technology,’’ he said.

Earlier, the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, emphasised the need for government to provide a unique, engaging and memorable experience for citizens when accessing government services.

“We are doing this initiative to redesign and develop a standard for government website so that we can provide the unique, engaging and memorable experience to our citizens for government services.

“That is the only way that we can get their attention by getting them to come back to consume those services. Without this standard, it will be difficult for us to achieve that,’’ he said.

The Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, highlighted the potentials of digital technology to transform the value that public sector stakeholders receive from government.

Aig-Imoukhuede said that the foundation had been working with the public service to improve service delivery and is supporting this initiative to redefine how government engages with citizens.

“Over the years, we have worked closely with the public service to improve service delivery, and central to that is how government engages with citizens.

“This initiative that we are engaged in today will, therefore, redefine how government shows up in the lives of Nigerians going forward.

“That is why at the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, we are supporting this effort,” he said.

The Director of Programmes, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Chioma Njoku, said that stakeholders were working together to close the gap between Nigeria and Western countries in terms of public service delivery.

“The standardised web design is expected to provide a unique and memorable experience for citizens, increasing trust and engagement with government,” Njoku said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman