DigSmart crucial step in advancing digitally enabled public sector

Mrs Ursla Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister for Communication and Digitalization, says the digital training module for Civil and Public Sector Programme is a crucial step in advancing the digitally enabled public sector.That, she said, could ultimately enhance service delivery and improve efficiency in the public sector space.The Minister said this during the graduation of the second cohort of Dig-Smart graduates in Accra.'The whole world is going digital, and our public and civil services must also go digital, and we need to start somewhere. 'So, as we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates, we look forward to the future. You are going to be the ones who will drive the digital transformation of your various agencies,' he said. The training programme she said was necessary in preventing outsourcing government services to the private sector, noting that it would not be possible if the drivers of the digital agenda in the public and civil service were spectators.The event she noted underscored the commitment to broadening digital skills across the nation and enhancing the capacity of the public and civil servants.Last year, 170 participants from six ministries and three departments were enrolled in the programme.The participants were selected by their own division heads, divided into three cohorts of leaders, managers, and officers. This year's programme was expanded and enrolled 830 participants from all 53 ministries, departments, and agencies, and 230 participants graduated.Some of the projects undertaken by the graduates included digitising land ownership, ultimately the acquisition of seismic data from seismic stations to influence decision-making, and developing online ticketing at Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.Dr Evans Aggrey-Darko, the Head of the Civil Service, in a speech read on his behalf, said the training programme showed the commitment and readiness of Civil Service staff to embrace the digital age in transforming their duties.He urged the civil servants to keep studying global precedents to enhance their services.Dr Aggrey-Darko said studying global precedents, learning their models, and applying them in Ghana could improve service delivery in the Ghana Civil Service and Public Services.The government is facilitating the training 'DigSMART,' in partnership with the Tony Blair Institute of Global Change.The GhanaCARES Delivery Unit and the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence are partners in the initiative. Source: Ghana News Agency