The Office of the Head of Service (OHOS) has concluded a two-day intensive hands-on training for over 200 Edo-Gov 2.0 champions, aimed at ensuring seamless onboarding of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) onto the state’s new digital governance platform.
The training, held on February 24 and 25, 2026, focused on equipping selected civil servants with the technical and operational skills required to drive the effective adoption of Edo-Gov 2.0 across MDAs.
Speaking at the event, the Head of Service, Dr. Anthony Okungbowa, emphasized that the core objective of the platform is to streamline work processes, reduce time spent on file handling, and eliminate inefficiencies in public service delivery.
He explained that e-governance is not an end in itself but a strategic tool for enhancing efficiency, minimizing corruption, and significantly cutting the cost of governance. According to him, the full integration of the advanced e-governance platform will eliminate delays and bureaucratic bottlenecks while strengthening accountability across the civil service.
Dr. Okungbowa reiterated the commitment of Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo to sustaining Edo State’s position as the most digitalised state in the federation. He noted that the Governor has demonstrated strong political will to ensure the successful implementation of the initiative.
He further highlighted that the improved platform will enhance flexibility, timeliness, collaboration, and seamless access to files.
“For these reasons, e-governance remains the most effective model of governance any state can adopt, and Edo State is leading the way,” he said.
Describing the trainees as the “disciples of Edo-Gov 2.0,” the Head of Service charged them to uphold the core values of the civil service and take full ownership of the platform to promote transparency and accountability.
He stressed that while government has provided the infrastructure, civil servants—as custodians of the system—must drive its success. The trained champions, he said, will return to their respective MDAs to cascade the knowledge acquired during the programme.
“The Governor places high priority on this initiative. Through you, its success will be realized. Once fully operational, the civil service will be transformed. This is a flagship project with strong executive backing,” he added.
Dr. Okungbowa also commended the implementation team for its commitment and technical support in onboarding officers onto the platform, declaring, “Edo Cloud belongs to us.”
Facilitating the training, Team Lead Dr. Benjamin Ben guided participants through practical sessions on the Edo Cloud platform.
Dr. Ben explained that the programme was designed not only to train end-users but also to prepare participants as trainers who would replicate the training within their MDAs. He described Edo Cloud as a significant upgrade from previous platforms, incorporating lessons learned to deliver a more robust and user-friendly system.
“This is not just an application; it is a cloud hub that integrates all the tools needed to enhance user experience, accountability, productivity, and service delivery,” he said, describing the system as a “learn one, learn all; use one, use all” platform.
Highlighting its key features, he listed enhanced approval workflows, an integrated office suite, collaborative and communication tools, analytics capabilities, tagging, and polling functions. He noted that while routine tasks remain unchanged, processes are now automated and centralized, fostering teamwork and forward-looking governance.
Dr. Ben added that the state government is localizing its digital infrastructure through a state-owned cloud system, comparable to global platforms hosted in dedicated data centres. He explained that the initiative would strengthen data privacy, reduce reliance on external AI tools for sensitive matters, and provide a unified digital workspace that eliminates the need for multiple applications.
He disclosed that the training would be expanded in subsequent phases to accommodate more civil servants.
