Hope Uzodinma’s path to digital transformation – Amadi

Governor Hope Uzodinma is on the verge of making a giant stride in Imo State with the establishment of Ministry of Digital Economy and E-Government, the very first in Nigeria and perhaps in West Africa.

This ministry will be saddled with the responsibility of making IMO state the digital capital of Nigeria.

Mission – The Ministry will work as part of Governor’s over all transformation agenda for the Imo State. This will be achieved by building smart cities which leverages digital technology to drive governance, innovation and entrepreneurship while promoting value creation and prosperity for all

The Digital Imo project aims to train 100,000 youth, women and people living with disabilities in core 21st century skills in software development, blockchain, game development and other technical vocational skills, facilitate Broadband Penetration in all LGAs of Imo State.

The ministry is expected to Improve Broadband penetration and coverage, Increased e-Government activities, Improved Digital inclusion and literacy levels.

Ministry will pull 100,000 young people from across the local government areas of the state and instil digital skills and competencies into them. The Ministry will be an enabler and a one-stop-shop for digital knowledge acquisition for the entire state operation.

The Ministry plans to train other Ministries on tech skills for the new Imo state that will run operations on technology and thus, be able to maximise resources for development.

The man whose shoulder this responsibility rest on is a digital revolutionist per excellence, a silent achiever who has been leading Digital mapping in Nigeria through the NCC, a young energetic and highly talented Dr Chimezie Amadi (Hon. Commissioner Digital Economy and E-Government)

Profile – Dr Amadi an Assistant Director at the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has impressive educational attainment, he attended several training programmes on 5G: The Path to Next Generation; Digital Transformation: Unlocking the Potential of IoT; Enabling the Full Value of Wireless Technology: Game Changing Technology For the Digital Age; and Ethics Intelligence, among others.

At the NCC, Dr Amadi worked in various Departments which include: Administration , Procurement, South-West Zonal operations where he headed the Enforcement, Licensing and Consumer Affairs Units as well as in Research and Development Department where he headed the Emerging Technologies Research Unit creatures with several publications. These towering strides gave him the opportunity to design and organise nationwide stakeholder fora in the ICT space to facilitate ACADOPRENEUR, which is a collaboration between Academia and Industry.

Action Plan – Amadi being a very detailed man has already mapped out what his actions will be in the new Ministry within a year. Dr Amadi’s document includes Action Steps, Timelines, Deliverables and expected outcomes.

Ministry of Digital Economy and E-Government under Dr Amadi, will animate the Startup ecosystem by creating enabling environment that facilitate groundbreaking innovations that will address societal challenges, enhance efficient service delivery while plugging the holes in Government budget for Revenue assurance.

For instance: Crowd-source Broadband Penetration and efficiency across all towns, villages and LGAs in Imo State.

Facilitate Broadband Penetration to Underserved and Unserved locations in Imo State via private sector partnerships, deployment of state-owned fibre highway for interconnection of business districts, communities and LGAs.

BOLD STEPS TO UNDERTAKE:

CREATE A HUB OF FITTING DIGITAL SKILLS SET FOR JOBS OF THE FUTURE

TRAINING AND CAPACITY-BUILDING OF MDA STAFF TO PROMOTE USE AND ADOPTION OF THE SINGLE WINDOWS PORTAL

IDENTIFICATION, AUTOMATION AND DIGITAL INTEGRATION OF REVENUE GENERATING MDAs IN IMO STATE

If there’s anyone befitting to head this new ministry, then Dr Amadi is that person. He comes fully prepared for his new job as the Commissioner for Digital Economy and e-Government.

Governor Hope Uzodinma has set himself up to become the Digital Governor in Nigeria by this establishment. History will be kind to him for placing Imo State on the global digital map.