Using technology to improve public service delivery

Using technology to keep individual identity by the government has numerous benefits for all parties involved, IFE ADEDAPO writes

Due to its boundless benefits, governments at all levels are embracing and striving to use technology to improve service delivery.

One solution that is being widely adopted in the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy is the identity management system, a means by which individuals’ identities, authentication and their roles in a company are managed with the goal of increasing security and productivity, while decreasing cost, downtime and repetitive tasks.

In its various uses, experts say identity management solutions are expected to usher in an era of transformation in sectors of the economy that include financial services, education, health care, and agriculture, thereby giving the country a competitive edge.

In the financial services sector, for instance, the Bankers’ Committee and the Central Bank of Nigeria initiated the ‘Know-Your-Customer’ project for the identification and verification of bank customers, using a biometric matching solution.

After the project, experts say the identification barriers preventing about 34.9 million adults from having access to basic financial services will be eliminated. According to them, it will transform Nigeria’s financial services landscape by bridging the existing gap between the formal and the large informal economy estimated to be about two thirds of the national economy.

Evidence of it effective use

Notable among the governments utilising identity management systems are Lagos, Anambra, and Osun states, which encourage residents to register using this method.

While the Anambra project is at the infrastructure building phase, Osun State has commenced the deployment and issuance of smart identity cards embedded with MasterCard prepaid capabilities to civil servants and retirees.

In the view of experts, the projects are initiated to enhance economic planning through the use of accurate population data in the formulation and implementation of public service policies.

They say the expected outcomes and benefits to the citizenry include improved service delivery in the areas of health, education, security, welfare and transportation, among others, by bringing a large and undocumented number of residents out of the shadows.

It minimises cost and time

Experts say the Anambra and Osun projects will enable the governments of the two states to provide better public services at less costs to residents across the rural and urban areas.

Other benefits of the smart identity card, according to professionals include reduced time on salary processing, prepaid payment for financial transactions, ability of holders to draw 20 per cent of monthly salaries in lieu of payment, automated biometric verification of employees and retirees’ as against manual verification usually accompanied by long queues, and the storage of health data required during medical emergencies, among others.

They say it is capable of eliminating the manual verification usually accompanied by long queues, replacing it with verification by flashing the card on the access control machines or kiosk anywhere within the state secretariat.

It reduces fraud

Due to its huge benefits, particularly in the areas of boosting internally generated revenue and reducing fraud, experts say institutions in the public sector are showing the same level of urgency as the private sector on the need to establish robust identity management programmes.

They say the Osun smart identity card, issued to enhance salary and pension payments, provides non-reproducible identification and authentication of 33,000 civil servants and retirees in the state.

During the inauguration of the smart identity card and the automated pensioner verification, Governor Rauf Aregbesola noted that the initiative was beneficial to the government, workers and retirees in the state.

According to him, the initiative will help to eliminate sources of financial waste and leakage being used by some dishonest workers to deprive the government of funds, while also preventing the possibility of defrauding workers and retirees’ of payments due to them.

Suitable for e-payment

The Group Managing Director, Chams Plc, Mr. Demola Aladekomo, notes that the smart identity card is multifunctional and is more than an identity card because it has e-payment capabilities and can be used as a debit or credit card by holders across the country and anywhere in the world.

In addition, he says the utilisation of information and communication technology to improve service delivery in the public sector in Nigeria will make governance inclusive by bringing it closer to the people.

Inclusive governance and the use of technology to reduce the high incidence of fraud and wastage often associated with the public sector, according to him, will further catalyse the growth and development of the economy.

Useful in project planning

On his part, the Deputy Managing Director, Chams Plc, Mr. Olufemi Williams, says the implementation of residents’ identification programmes by Anambra and Osun will enhance the ability of the state governments to make short, medium and long-term plans for the benefit of their people.

Upon completion, he says the state governments will no longer depend on sketchy data in their bid to formulate and implement policies, projects and programmes, because the number of people to cater for across sectors and in rural and urban areas is known.

According to Williams, the adoption of residents’ identification programmes by state governments will ensure appropriate allocation of resources to various sectors of the economy in a manner that meets the real needs of residents of the states.