Adamawa Region: ANTIC equipping mayors, council staff with digital skills to boost local dev’t.

This is the crux of a three-day capacity building seminar on ICTs for municipal council staff of the Adamawa Region which got on the rails Tuesday in the city of Ngaoundere.

The intensive training which has grouped scores of mayors and council staff is an initiative of the National Agency for Information and Comunication Technologies, ANTIC.

It is being organised in partnership with the Ministry of Decentralisation and Local Development, MINDDEVEL, the Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance, FEICOM, the National Civil Status Office, BUNEC, and the Public Contracts Regulatory Agency, ARMP. 

The seminar was officially opened Tuesday by the Director General of the ANTIC, Prof Ebot Ebot Enaw. This was in the presence of administrative and local authorities of the Adamawa Region.

The seminar which is in its fourth edition is unfolding under the theme: "Local governance in the era of digital transformation".

It comes after the first three editions which took place in Bafoussam in 2020, Ebolowa in 2021 and Limbe in 2022. The seminars are organised in keeping with ANTIC’s contribution to the decentralisation efforts undertaken by Government. 

Speaking at the start of the seminar in Ngaoundere, the Director General of ANTIC, Prof Ebot Ebot Enaw, explained that “as enablers of the transparent management of resources and drivers of good governance and job creation, ICTs can help our councils significantly improve the living conditions of citizens in their municipalities”.

He noted that: “It is in this light that ANTIC within the ambit of its mission of promoting ICTs in Cameroon has opted to accompany municipal councils in the integration of digital tools in the their daily operations and work processes”.

“This initiative is already bearing fruits in some municipal councils where these workshops have been organised evidenced by the development and implementation of some of their ICT projects including inter alia:  the development of a Master Plan for the information system of the Bafoussam City Council as well as the maturation of ICT projects of Ebolowa and Lokundjé municipal councils,” he added.

The Director General furthered that “the current three-day event seeks to equip mayors and their staff with 21^st century digital skills needed to optimize processes in their municipalities in a bid to improve service delivery through the adoption and integration of ICTs into daily Council operations and as such effectively participate in the growth and development of the digital economy”.

“Following the first three editions of this effort, we conducted a study which revealed an ICT penetration rate of about 11% in the said regions which is on the low side of things. The objective of the fourth edition is therefore to help turn the tide in the ICT penetration rate,” Prof Ebot Ebot stated.

He was blunt that: “In this light, it is our fervent wish that the skills and competences you will acquire in the course of the three-day event will be put into effective use to help drive the ICT penetration rate in your various municipalities”.

He said the increased ICT penetration rate “is not the endgame but an enabler of the end game which is improving the living conditions of citizens through enhanced service delivery and job creation”.

ICTs catalyst for local development

While addressing authorities and participants at the Ngaoundere meeting, the Director General of ANTIC said the decentralisation process under the distinguished stewardship of President Paul Biya, seeks to provide development opportunities, drive growth and bolster government actions in local communities by empowering local authorities to initiate and implement projects as well as programmes that effectively respond to local community needs.

“In this light, ICTs which have the potential to fast-tract Regional economic development could be integrated in the management of local affairs,” he stated before mentioning that: “Thanks to their cross cutting nature and their ability to optimise processes, ICTs have transformed all sectors of activity and their adoption in municipal councils would help boost productivity as well as enhance the transparent management of resources in both central and local governments”.

He said at the local level, e-governance and the appropriate use of ICT can enhance and support economic and social development, particularly in empowering officials and municipal representatives, ensuring linkages, networking, timely, efficient, transparent and accountable services. 

“Therefore, e-local governance seeks to exploit the power of ICT to help transform the accessibility, quality and cost-effectiveness of public service and to help revitalize the relationship between clients, citizens and government institutions that work on their benefit,” he noted.

“In this perspective, the agenda of this meeting reflects contributions received from our partners and is tailored to enable resource persons and participants engage in meaningful and insightful discussions that shall significantly spur the adoption and effective use of ICTs in the various local councils in Adamawa Region,” he concluded.

For three days, participants at the Ngaoundere seminar which ends today will be lectured on issues bordering on the importance of an IT Master Plan for municipal councils and digitalisation of the civil status register. They will also receive lesssons on how to seek funding for ICT projects as well as change management.