From South Korea, Nigeria takes in e-Government

The plan was developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology (FMCT).The Master Plan was delivered last Tuesday in Abuja during a Hand-over Ceremony at the FMCT secretariat in the presence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Kyu Duk Noh, the Minister of FMCT, Mrs Omobola Johnson, and the KOICA […]

The plan was developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology (FMCT).
The Master Plan was delivered last Tuesday in Abuja during a Hand-over Ceremony at the FMCT secretariat in the presence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Kyu Duk Noh, the Minister of FMCT, Mrs Omobola Johnson, and the KOICA Chief Resident Representative, Mr. Jung Sang Hoon.
KOICA has established a US$ 8.56 million project on “Capacity Building of e-Government in Nigeria” for approximately 5 years (2014-2018) in order to improve Nigeria’s public sector service and governance and integrate South Korea’s advanced experience in e-Government building and ICT promotion.
In terms of public sector service and governance, the UN Government Index (UNEGDI) ranked South Korea Number 1 for three consecutive times (2010, 2012, and 2014), while Nigeria was ranked 141 amongst 193 countries.
A press release from KOICA revealed that the establishment of the Master Plan for Nigeria’s e-Government was a product of multiple meetings and workshops involving experts from Nigeria and Korea who worked on the structure and the contents of the document.
The release recalled that in December 2013, over the course of five visits to Nigeria, ten Korean experts were engaged in resource research and consultation.
The Master Plan proposal includes the following projects; Nigeria e-Government Vision 20:2020 carrying five policies, 10 strategies, and 23 initiatives to accomplish the strategic objectives.
In the report containing the Master Plan, specific demands, problem analyses and diagnoses related to Nigeria’s e-Government, examples of South Korea’s and other advanced countries’ development, and detailed action plans for each initiative project selected according to priority are included.
The Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, H. E Kyu Duk Noh applauded the efforts of the Minister of Communication Technology, the Korean Experts and all team members who made the Master Plan a reality.
He explained that the Embassy of Republic of Korea in Nigeria expected the outcomes of the Project would contribute to the actualization of the Nigeria Vision 20:2020 and help the Nigerian government achieve good governance through the deployment of the right e-Governance tools for public service.
While urging the Nigeria government to key into the e-Government as a platform to achieve development outcomes, he noted that good governance was one of the priority areas of the Nigeria National Implementation Plan (NIP) for Vision 20:2020.
The release noted that the Minister, who had shown deep interest in the project, had been engaged from the inception of the master plan, stressing that she had expressed her willingness to consider the presentation of the key points of the completed Master Plan to the president and other cabinet members at the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The Minister, the release added, expressed an earnest request from the Korean team led by Professor Park of Sangmyung University, to continue to monitor the implementation of the Master Plan even after the project was completed.
Professor Park, Project Manager of the Master Plan, voiced his hope to see more of South Korea’s enterprises and technologies to be introduced to Nigeria as well as a reinforced human networking in the related fields.
He added that the National Information Development Agency (NITDA) was negotiating to adopt eGovFrame, the standard e-Government software framework developed by Korea National Information Society Agency, which was an accompanying outcome of the project.
The KOICA Nigeria office Chief Representative, Mr. Sang Hoon Jung, assessed the project’s outcomes to be a considerable contribution to the building of a knowledge-based society, utilizing ICT, the improvement of governance and efficiency in the government, and the reinforcement of national competitiveness.
Mr. Jung also mentioned that the project aimed to provide a customized e-Government that would address Nigeria’s specific stage of development and priority for effective transfer and sharing of South Korea’s experience in establishing its e-Government, as well as setting quantitative objectives from the planning stages of the project.
The “Capacity Building of e-Government in Nigeria” started when the Chief Representative of the KOICA Nigeria office, the Minister of Minister Communications Technology and the Administrator of Public Service Institute of Nigeria signed a Record of Discussions on November 14, 2013.
The project is expected to establish an effective e-Government Master Plan, build an innovative e-Government training center, and provide a South Korea-led program for the training and awareness raising of 22,625 Nigerian public officials.