Niger State Governor Umaru Bago has emerged as the Digital Governor of the Year, coming in recognition of his government’s intervention and reforms in advancing digital literacy and leveraging technology to improve governance and service delivery in the State.
The Governor was distinguished in the digital literacy category at the 2024 Nigeria GOVTECH Conference and Awards.
The event is organized by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms and designed to bring together government officials, technology innovators, industry experts, policymakers, and key stakeholders to discuss and promote digital transformation within the Nigerian government.
Governor Bago who was represented by his deputy at the award ceremony, Mr. Yakubu Garba, congratulated other award recipients and expressed appreciation to the event organizers, sponsors, and development partners for their support.
He conveyed his gratitude for the recognition and pledged to continue fostering technology adoption across all sectors to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
Among notable digital literacy achievements of the Bago’s administration are training market traders and artisans in technology use through Hausa and Pidgin English.
Children aged 10 to 18 have been trained in robotics, the Internet of Things, and programming.
Niger State has also partnered with Tech4Dev to provide IT training for civil servants.
Other initiatives include collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council to equip SMEs with eCommerce skills to boost exports, as well as training programs for women under the “TechSis” initiative.
Governor Bago has also supported IT training for commissioners, permanent secretaries, and special advisers for improved service delivery, open-source intelligence training for journalists to combat fake news, and the digitalisation of the civil service recruitment process.
Governor Bago has therefore announced the establishment of the Ministry for Communication Technology and Digital Economy, alongside an agency for green initiatives—the first of its kind at the sub-national level.
