Govt agencies told to adopt digital tech inclusion for strategy development

BY Onome Amuge.

Government agencies and organisations at all levels need to implement a vision and strategy driven by the application of digital technology to ensure effective operations as it is one of the most critical tools for leaders to explore for nation building, capacity development, acceleration of economic growth, and risk management capabilities.

Chizor Malize, managing director/CEO, Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC), stated this at the 2022 Nigerian Risk Leadership Summit & Awards hosted by Conrad Clark in Lagos recently, with the theme ‘Tech in Risk Governance & Leadership’.

In her presentation titled ‘Public Accountability, Transparency and Big Data: Leveraging Information Technology to Drive Transformation, Boost Transparency and Enhance Positive Social Change’, Malize, who is also summit chairman, Nigerian Risk Awards (NRA), said that embedding digital technology ecosystems in the process of visioning and strategy development strengthens policies and frameworks for public sector accountability, boosts transparency and enhances positive social change.

She noted that while digital technology has been experiencing exponential growth, especially in the 21st Century, there’s still a wide gap in its assimilation between developed and developing nations with less than 25 percent of sub-Saharan Africa having access to digital services.

This, according to the FITC CEO, portends an opportunity for organisations and government agencies to adopt technology as an enabler for effective leadership and governance, and as a driver for public sector accountability to boost transparency and enhance positive social change.

“Research has shown that in fostering a technological framework towards the effective governance as well as the attainment of national and sustainable development goals in any nation, the first effective strategy would be the critical assessment or overhauling of the technology infrastructure to ensure an alignment of policies with Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) goals,” she said.

Speaking further, Malize expressed confidence that with consistency and time, digital technology in governance will become the most effective instrument to safeguard against various economic and other challenges.

She emphasised that Nigeria as a nation can achieve social change via ICT in the areas of fiscal public participation, accountability, improved revenue drive and improved social economic and environmental outcomes.

She added that technologic ecosystems are still expected to not just help organisations and governments in their agendas, but also propel the attainment of their vision and strategic goals.

Highlighting the various ways technology can be leveraged to accomplish government goals, Malize explained that in order to achieve and enhance the nation’s technological capacities for innovation in leadership and governance, government agencies need to implement practicable research, promote data analysis, and adopt feasible technical experiments from learning institutions such as the FITC digital learning solution.

“An ecosystem that supports research, development, and innovation, integrated with effective frameworks of governance is important in the achievement of national and SDG goals. However, there must also be the digitisation of governmental oversight functions to help drive transformation across board,” she said.

While acknowledging the challenges that big data poses for accountability and transparency, she advised that this should not discourage government agencies and organisations from making appropriate investments and harvesting the investments for results.

Malize opined that this opportunity should be leveraged to develop methodological frameworks that account for the strengths and weaknesses of the knowledge claims that are produced with a big data state of mind to drive transformation, boost transparency, and enhance positive social changes.

“Citizens and society are interested in a more transparent system, and demand accountability from both organizations and government agencies. To achieve this, leaders must fully embrace technology as the enabler for good governance. Government agencies at all levels must be guided and driven by digital technology-led strategies and ecosystems, as they strengthen policies and frameworks for public sector accountability, boost transparency and enhance positive social change,” she added.

The Nigerian Risk Awards and Leadership Summit (NRA), now in its 6th edition, was set up to recognise and reward organisations and individuals who have achieved measurable results through good governance, internal controls, and risk management systems. The Summit is also aimed at celebrating industry players who have developed creative and innovative solutions to overcome the challenges facing their businesses and organisations.