By Progress Godfrey
In a bid to drive efficiency, transparency and digital transformation in service delivery within Nigeria’s Civil Service, the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning has adopted the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) System.
The ECM is currently being implemented across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). It is a platform powered by government-owned Galaxy Backbone Limited, designed to transform internal processes by improving how documents and records are created, managed, stored and retrieved, as part of a national digital transformation agenda aimed at a paperless public service by the end of 2025.
Delivering his remarks at the Go-Live ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday evening, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said the deployment of the ECM aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises reforms, institutional efficiency, transparency and the strategic use of technology to drive national development.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Esther Odoh, Bagudu stressed that digital transformation is no longer optional for the public service, describing it as a national necessity for effective planning, coordination and modern governance.
“As the political head of this ministry, I strongly believe that digital transformation is not optional. It is a national necessity, a national call. Our ministry is at the centre of national planning and economic coordination.
“It is therefore essential that we keep prioritising efficiency, innovation, and modern governance. Let me clearly state that digitalisation is not just about technology, it’s about people and mindsets. The success of this system will depend on how well we embrace change, how willing we are to learn, and how committed we are to using these tools to serve our mandate with integrity and excellence,” he said.
He urged staff to fully embrace the system, noting that its success depends on ownership, discipline and a willingness to change old work habits, while appreciating the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, ministry management, ICT teams and technical partners for making the project a reality.
In her keynote speech, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, described the go-live ceremony as a clear signal of the ministry’s readiness to secure its future in a fast-changing digital age.
She said the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning occupies a strategic position in government, where policies, numbers and national priorities intersect, making effective information management critical to good governance.
“With today’s launch, I am pleased also to formally welcome the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning into the expanding ECMS family across the federal system. You have officially joined a growing movement that understands that good governance cannot wait for files to travel from table to table before decisions are made,” she said.
Walson-Jack said the milestone places the ministry on track to meet the federal government’s December 31, 2025, deadline for full digitalisation and confirms 100 per cent compliance with content services digitalisation under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021 to 2025.
She added that from now on, all official correspondence in the ministry must be processed digitally, urging staff to use the system consistently to improve turnaround time, accountability, institutional memory and evidence-based budgeting and national planning.
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