Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja
The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning has launched an Electronic Records Management (ERM) platform to track incoming and outgoing mails and letters from and to the ministry.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, who was represented at the launch by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Mohanmmed Isa Dutse, noted that the launch was in furtherance of the current administration commitment to digitalise all government platforms and the ministry’s commitment towards improving service delivery to the citizenry.
According to a statement issued by the Director (Information), Mr. Hassan Dodo, the minister stated that this commitment was underpinned by the current administration desire to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery, the promotion of inter-agency synergy as well as the fight against corruption.
She stated that following the launch of e-government master plan by the government, key operations in public service such as the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the newly launched Financial Transparency Web Portal, the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and Bank Verification Number (BVN) were now being implemented and would help the government to save cost and fight corruption.
On the derivable benefits from the project, the minister stated that the project would enhance tracking of incoming and outgoing letters, enhance productivity, quality, and reduce turnaround time as well as enhance efficiency in service delivery, while ensuring the preservation and safety of the ministry’s documents.
The minister, therefore, solicited the cooperation and commitment of staff of the ministry towards the realisation of the goals of the project.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of Special Duties in the ministry, Dr. Mohammed Dikwa, stated that this ‘noble initiative’ is meant to address the lingering challenges of document management in the service, adding that the initiative was designed to address notable challenges, including inability to track incoming and outgoing mails, data preservation measure, and long turn-around time for processing mails, among others.
He added that there is no existing system for managing projects, noting that the initiative came at the right time when the country and the global economic outlook was increasingly being shaped by digital processes.
Dikwa expressed his conviction that upon complete deployment of the system, the ministry, and by extension, the country stands to benefit immensely in terms of enhanced productivity, cost reduction of turn-around and time, business continuity and quality assurance.
