The Edo State Government, through the Office of the Head of Service, has trained over 70 E-Governance Champions on the interface, functionality and deployment strategy of its newly developed, state-owned electronic governance platform known as Edo Cloud.
The one-day intensive workshop, held at the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA) in Benin City, brought together E-Gov Champions drawn from various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), alongside technical experts and other key stakeholders within the State’s digital governance ecosystem. The sessions exposed participants to the platform’s enhanced features, improved user experience and operational framework, with the objective of repositioning Edo State as a leading sub-national in e-governance.
Declaring the workshop open, the Edo State Head of Service (HOS), Dr. Anthony Okungbowa, described the Edo Cloud Platform as a major milestone in the State’s digital governance journey. He explained that the training was designed to equip E-Gov Champions with the knowledge and skills required to support the seamless deployment of the platform across MDAs, beginning with a phased rollout approach aimed at ensuring stability, efficiency and long-term sustainability.
Dr. Okungbowa clarified that the present administration did not discontinue e-governance in the State, but instead conducted a detailed review of the former system due to fundamental structural challenges. According to him, issues related to intellectual property ownership and restricted backend access made it impossible for the State to exercise full control over its digital infrastructure.
He said the Governor, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, considered it unacceptable for Edo State to “breathe through the nostrils of another,” a situation that led to the decision to develop a home-grown, fully state-owned platform. He noted that the new solution guarantees data sovereignty, full backend access and sustainability over the long term.
Commending the technical team led by Dr. Benjamin Ben for what he described as diligence and professionalism, the HOS said the Edo Cloud Platform is more robust, secure and user-friendly than the previous system. He also acknowledged the critical role previously played by E-Gov Champions in positioning Edo State as one of the first states in Nigeria to operate a paperless public service.
The HOS urged the champions to take ownership of the Edo Cloud project and drive its adoption across MDAs. He stressed that resistance to change often arises from poor communication and limited understanding, and encouraged them to serve as ambassadors of the new system by clearly explaining its benefits and impact on daily work processes.
According to him, the adoption of e-governance will enhance transparency and accountability, improve service delivery, increase citizen participation in governance and significantly reduce paperwork. He added that the initiative would once again position Edo State at the forefront of digital public service administration in the country.
“E-Governance was not stopped by this administration. What the Governor did, which was needful and expedient, was to review things with the former structure. We are very grateful to His Excellency, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, for this more advanced and developed solution,” the HOS said.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs, Dr. Peter Osagie, described the current phase of the Edo State civil and public service as an era of digital revolution. He said the workshop was deliberately organised to familiarise E-Gov Champions with the new platform, enabling them to effectively cascade knowledge and provide support across MDAs.
“This workshop is about charting a clear path forward and ensuring that we not only return to e-governance but significantly surpass what we achieved in the past,” Dr. Osagie stated.
Providing technical insights into the platform, Dr. Ben explained that the Edo Cloud Platform offers improved total data control, a unified user experience, enhanced scalability and automated workflows. He expressed confidence that users would easily adapt to the platform due to its simplicity and intuitive design.
Dr. Ben said the training was structured to empower E-Gov Champions to independently support and train other staff members within their MDAs, thereby reducing the need for constant technical interventions. He added that the platform has been successfully test-run for several months and is ready for full deployment across the State.
“With what we have done, there will be no need for micro managing. The E-gov champions will provide support for their community and this is the view of His Excellency’s directives, that civil and public servants be able to do their jobs independently,” he said.
Also speaking, the Head of IT Infrastructure and System Engineering at the Edo State Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), Engr. Courage Adaghe, emphasised that the platform is a state-owned design, which guarantees sustainability, security and flexibility. He explained that the modular structure of Edo Cloud allows for continuous updates and expansion by in-house technical teams, ensuring the solution evolves in line with the needs of the service.
“Working as part of the team that designed this solution, I would say that the platform will serve as a one-stop digital solution for public service operations. It was fully built, managed and maintained within Edo State’s technology ecosystem,” Engr. Adaghe said.
One of the participants, the E-Gov Champion representing the Edo State Social Investment Programme Office, Mr. Ogbewe Osaro Anthony, expressed appreciation to the Governor for approving a fully state-owned e-governance platform. He described Edo Cloud as richer in content, more flexible and better suited to public service operations than the previous system, noting that its features would significantly enhance collaboration and productivity across MDAs.
