The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, over the weekend advanced his agenda on digital policy by facilitating a training session for 438 federal civil servants with support from Korean experts.
The participants were drawn from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and the sessions were held at the Digital Economy Complex, Mbora, Abuja.
The programme was organised in collaboration with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) under the theme: “Enabling Digital Government Transformation: Leadership, Training and Citizen-Centric Systems.”
The training formed part of the monthly DevsInGovernment programme, an initiative launched by Tijani to strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy and expand inclusion in public service delivery.
During his presentation on “Strategies for IT Training in Digital Government Transformation,” William Scheffers, Director at TG Consulting, highlighted the central role of ICT in public administration.
He stressed that, “Governments are under pressure to digitise services and improve citizen experience, ICT training ensures that staff can operate, maintain and innovate with new systems.
Skills gaps lead to inefficiencies, data risks and wasted investments in IT.
Trained officials are more adaptable in responding to new policy and citizen needs.”
Scheffers warned that reluctance to embrace new technologies would hinder digital progress. He pointed to cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and cloud adoption as key areas shaping the future of ICT training. He urged the participants to embrace change, adding that the growing wave of cyber threats makes digital security training vital for both official and personal protection.
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“Data analytics and AI literacy are increasingly demanded in policy design and execution. There is a shift toward microlearning, online platforms and hybrid delivery,” he said, encouraging civil servants to seize the opportunity.
Earlier, Myeongseok Song, Deputy Director of the Korea Institute for Development Strategy (KDS), explained that the training not only introduced Korea’s governance model but also shared lessons from its digital achievements.
He said Korea’s new approach is designed to empower “citizens, enterprises and governments to solve issues together and create new value through a digital platform which connects all their data.”
According to him, “We just want to talk about the digital, the government, the advanced AI, and eventually, we expect to make more advanced perspectives and ideas for the government.”
For many participants, the programme was an eye-opener. Adetokunbo Adebola, Head of the Data Strategy and Research Department in the office of the Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, described it as both timely and relevant.
He praised Bosun Tijani for pushing initiatives that promote digital literacy among civil servants, noting that such efforts would have direct benefits for citizens.