By Fatou Sanneh
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Ousman Bah, has said that the digitalisation of public service is not merely a technological endeavour, but also a catalyst for social economic development, empowerment, and inclusive growth.
Minister Bah made this remarks at the signing ceremony of $180,000-dollar grant agreement between the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (MoCDE) and the ECOWAS Commission at the OIC Banjul Summit.
The grant is aimed at modernising the Gambia government operations and enhance online service.
“By leveraging a digital technology, we can streamline bureaucratic processes,
increase transparency and accountability, and bridge the digital divide, ensuring that no one is left behind in this journey toward prosperity,” stated, Minister Bah.
Minister Bah further stated that 12 million Gambian Dalasi funding will be dedicated to digitalization of the public service in the Gambia.
“This investment represents a significant step towards our effort to modernize government operation and service delivery to improve the lives of the citizens.’’
Minister Bah extended his profound gratitude to ECOWAS through the President of ECOWAS Commission for their continuous support to the country.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray stated that The Gambia has been selected as one of the pioneer countries to be supported under the regional programme due to its concrete efforts in setting the environment for the implementation of the project.
“Indeed, the main guiding criteria applied for the selection of the pioneer countries where the country is readiness and the improvement needs based on the e-government -government development index, measured annually at the national level by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.’’
Dr. Touray expressed confidence that The Gambia as a pioneer beneficiary of the initial grant alongside Sierra Leone will work to achieve the expected results under the stipulated conditions and time. He congratulated the Gambia, on successfully securing the funding.
