The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Anambra State ICT Agency, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, has announced a renewed push to transform governance through technology, following his reappointment to lead the agency for another tenure.
Agbata made the announcement during a media parley with journalists, where he outlined plans to deepen e-governance, expand digital infrastructure and deploy emerging technologies to make government services more accessible to residents.
He said the agency’s next phase would move beyond simply providing digital infrastructure to ensuring that technology becomes an integral part of how government operates and how citizens access public services.
“My core vision is that we would have digitised every single government entity in Anambra State,” Agbata said during the online media engagement.
Under what he described as the agency’s 2.0 agenda, the ICT Agency is developing websites for ministries, departments and agencies while also automating their operations to enable residents to access government services online.
“We are building websites for all the MDAs. We are also automating them to be able to carry out services and give government support and government services through their websites,” he said.
According to Agbata, the objective is to reduce the burden on residents who currently have to travel to Awka or other government offices to access services that can increasingly be initiated or completed digitally.
The Smart Anambra platform, he said, is already demonstrating the potential of the digital approach. The platform recorded about 14,000 visits between July 9 and July 29, representing an average of approximately 700 visits daily, despite limited publicity.
Agbata said the platform is being connected to services covering areas such as hospitals, schools and other government processes, allowing residents to begin applications, complete forms and access services remotely, with physical visits required only where necessary.
Beyond e-governance, the agency has also continued to pursue digital inclusion through the Solution Wi-Fi initiative, which provides free public internet access across more than 25 strategic locations in the state.
The programme targets students, traders and other residents by providing free internet connectivity in public spaces, markets and student communities.
In Awka, the initiative covers locations including Aroma Junction, Eke Awka Market, ABS Bus Stand and the UNIZIK Junction/Back Gate. Several student communities and lodges around Ifite also benefit, including School Gate Ifite, Ada Jesus Lodge, Address Lodge, Bucon Lodge, First Choice Lodge and Book Foundation.
Other locations include Agulu, Ukwu Orji, Nwafor Orizu College of Education and the College of Health in Obosi.
The Solution Wi-Fi programme is part of the agency’s broader effort to ensure that access to digital tools and connectivity is not restricted to government offices or major technology hubs, but reaches ordinary residents in places where they live, study, trade and conduct their daily activities.
The Anambra State ICT Agency was established in 2019 by the administration of former Governor Willie Obiano as a government parastatal responsible for driving ICT innovation and building a digitally enabled state.
The agency was conceived around the idea of inclusive technology and the creation of digital opportunities across sectors of the state economy and government. Its broader mandate includes supporting young people, digital entrepreneurs and other technology users with access to tools, training, expertise and opportunities for self-development and wealth creation.
Its guiding philosophy, “Everything Technology and Technology Everywhere,” captures the agency’s ambition to make technology a practical part of everyday life and governance in Anambra.
With Agbata’s reappointment, the agency is expected to intensify this digital transformation agenda, with greater emphasis on smart government, online public services, connectivity and the use of emerging technologies to improve how government interacts with citizens.
The renewed focus signals a transition from viewing ICT merely as infrastructure to positioning technology as a key driver of efficient governance, economic opportunity and inclusive development in Anambra State.