NITDA chief says digitization of government processes curbs corruption
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Saviour Adugba
The digitization of governmental processes helps to curb corruption practices, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said.
Abdullahi made the claim while delivering a goodwill message at the 2nd National Summit of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) with the theme, “Together Against Corruption”.
He noted that reliable research has shown that digitization of governmental processes helps reduce human interactions, thereby leading to less corruption in governance, adding that digitization helps to stimulate the growth of the economy.
“Corruption stalls economic growth, which means that digital transformation and corruption are negatively correlated. The use of digital tools helps create more direct channels of feedback and communication between citizens and government by reducing the capacity of government transactions and promoting trust. This also brings about transparency and reduces the opportunity for bribes and influence,” Abdullahi said.
Speaking further on how digitization can help curb corruption, he stated that, “digital transformation can help in the promotion of transparency, accountability, and improve efficiency in service delivery.
“It cuts red tapes and provides critical tools in the fight against corruption. Emerging technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence allows you to detect, prevent, and even predict corrupt practices, which in the past, could be impossible,” the NITDA chief added.
Abdullahi highlighted the role that NITDA has played in the digitization of government processes, especially noting how the agency has helped strengthen IT clearance processes which he says is aimed at engendering accountability and transparency in project execution.
He said, “we are implementing some groundbreaking initiatives such as Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture, Nigeria e-Government Interoperability Plan and e-Government master plan to fast track our digital transformation. We have set up a digital transformation technical working group in MDAs to accelerate digital transformation within MDAs. We have set up a digital transformation technical working group in MDAs to accelerate digital transformation within MDAs.”