June 2, 2023

The Anambra Government on Friday unveiled its civil service Electronic Identification Card (e-Id card).

Mrs Theodora Igwegbe, Head of Service (HoS) in Anambra who presided over the ceremony, said the e-ID project was part of the digitisation efforts in the state public service.

Igwegbe said e-government initiatives had become imperative for efficient and transparent governance delivery in the current digital age and that an essential aspect of transformation was the adoption of e-identification schemes.

She said e-ID provided secure and reliable verification of individuals’ identities with immense benefit for civil servants.

“One of the primary benefits of an e-identification scheme is the improved efficiency it brings to administrative processes.

“By adopting an e-identification scheme, civil servants can streamline their interactions with various government agencies, eliminating repetitive paperwork and reducing bureaucratic delays,” she said.

Igwegbe said e-ID would check the pitfalls of normal identification cards which were susceptible to loss, theft, or forgery and risk to the integrity of the system with its robust encryption protocols and authentication mechanisms.

She said it would also ensure that only authorised individuals could access sensitive information, conduct transactions and reduce the likelihood of identity theft and fraudulent activities.

The HoS said though implementation of the e-identification scheme had numerous advantages, it had its challenges which were data security, infrastructure readiness, and digital literacy.

“To mitigate these challenges, robust cybersecurity measures are being put in place, including encryption, firewalls, and regular audits.

“The government of Anambra State is working assiduously towards the mitigation of these challenges. Optic fibres are being laid, and in no distant time, free WiFi will be provided for us,” she said.

In his remarks, Fred Agbata, Managing Director, Anambra Information Communication Technology Agency, said the e-ID project was another milestone for the Anambra Civil Service.

Agbata said the inauguration of the project was coming a month after 200 laptops and computers were distributed to civil servants and political appointees to enhance the digitisation processes in the State.

He said the e-ID Card Scheme was inspired by the need to strengthen identity management so that both the state government and citizens could easily identify civil servants and all other government employees.

He said civil servants and government employees can now easily identify themselves and end the era of fake government employees.

“This effort shows the state government’s willingness to work with anyone genuinely interested in contributing to the transformation of Anambra through technology.

“We appreciate the efforts of Mr Governor to promote access to technology in all areas of the public sector and we cannot wait to see the overall positive impact that this strategy will have on the workforce and our beloved state in general.

“The E-ID card will be available on Google playstore as a downloadable app which every civil servant is expected to access and sign up for with their Name, telephone number and official email address. (NAN)