‘Digitally transformed government will improve ease of doing business’

A public sector government leader in Microsoft, Middle-East and Africa, Saluwa Smaoui, has said that a digitally transformed government would improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

Smaoui, who disclosed this at the Digital Government Summit organised by Microsoft Nigeria in Abuja, said the emergence of new technologies, such as Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things, create a promising new opportunity for governments to enhance the way they interact with citizens.

She explained that Microsoft is hosting the summit for government officials, which will lead discussions on how government can adapt to the new digital landscape, embracing new business models and technologies that combine both agility and security.

Smaoui said: “A digitally transformed government would improve the ease of doing business for small businesses, foreign direct investment, and two-way communications with citizens.

“We hope to empower officials with the information, tools and resources that enable them to do more and achieve more for the citizens they serve.

“Success in an increasingly digital future depends on how well governments use technology to transform, create new value and positive business outcomes, and deliver new and improved citizen services at scale.”

According to her, the summit would introduce Microsoft industry solutions for government and explore some of its available technologies, such as Azure and Microsoft AI, adding that Microsoft’s efforts are to bring about digital transformation across societies and industries.

“AI can be a powerful tool both in the way people connect with governments, and in the way policy makers access data and insights that lead to faster and better decisions.

“As we infuse intelligence into digital experiences, we are committed to building trust into our technology, ensuring AI systems are fair, reliable, safe, private, secure, inclusive, transparent and accountable,” she added.