Nigeria and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) have signed a thirteen million dollar agreement to Foster Digital Governance in Nigeria.
The project is titled “Building a Foundation Towards Digital Governance in Nigeria” (2020 – 2026 / $13M).
Speaking at the ceremony held at the South Korean Embassy in Abuja, the S.Korean Ambassor to Nigeria Kim Young – Chae urged Minister of Communication, Isah Pantami to maintain the tempo in ensuring ICT contributes more to National Development in Nigeria.
The Ambassador noted that the Korean Government was willing to share its experience and expertise with the Nigerian Government.
Ambassador Young – Chae also commended the supervisory leadership of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami over Nigeria’s ICT sector as the fastest-growing sector in Nigeria in the last 2-years.
Responding, the Nigerian Minister, Dr Pantami while appreciating KOICA for the kind gesture, said, “the Republic of Korea through KOICA is the number 1 country supporting Nigeria in the area of e-Governance”, adding that “the support Nigeria has received from the Republic of Korea cannot be matched by any other Nation.”
Dr. Pantami informed the gathering that over 1000 civil servants from Nigeria have been trained on eGovernance in the world-class eGovernment training centre located in Abuja which was built and donated to the Nigerian government by the S.Korea Republic as part of Phase 1 of the e-Governance cooperation signed in the year 2013.
The Minister hailed the achievement of the Korean Government in the area of Government Digital Service, highlighting that Nigeria could adopt a similar model.
It will be recalled that in the year 2013, the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology and KOICA signed phase 1 of the agreement that cost $8.5M, phase 2 is projected to gulp another $13M. The funds are mostly donated by the Republic of Korea through KOICA.
Hauwa Abu
