Imported User:
As Nigeria moves to enthrone a digital economy where its citizens can conduct electronic commerce transactions on line and pay their taxes and have access to government services through the internet, it has emerged that half of Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) lack web presence.
Out of 810 MDAs under the Federal Government, 440 MDAs representing 54.32 per cent do not have internet websites while only 370 MDAs have internet presence.
According to a recent study to ascertain federal government’s presence on the internet conducted by the Ministry of Communications Technology, 225 MDAs (31.48 per cent) have sites with information only services, 23 MDAs (2.84 per cent) have information and interactive services only sites, 28 MDAs (3.46 per cent) have information and transactional services only websites while 64 MDAs (7.9 per cent) have interactive and transaction only websites.
The study also revealed that out of 36 federal ministries, 21ministries have online presence while 15 ministries representing 41.6 per cent have no internet websites. 18 ministries representing 50 per cent have information services only websites. Two ministries representing 5.56 per cent have interactive services websites while one ministry (2.78 per cent) has interactive and transactional services only sites.
Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson disclosed to LEADERSHIP that “federal government’s institutional presence on the web is inadequate in breadth and functionality. Where we are present the ‘point of entry’ and standards can be confusing and the quality of our websites can be significantly enhanced.”
She stated that her ministry was working on a new national government portal that will have standardised and intuitive domain names for each of the 36 federal ministries, standardised design, format and a single point of entry on nigeria.gov.ng, adding that there would be content managers in each MDA managing each site.
