{
  "id": 1381457,
  "title": "Anambra deepens digital push, targets SME formalisation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/anambra-deepens-digital-push-targets-sme-formalisation-1381457",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-17T00:34:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/anambra-deepens-digital-push-targets-sme-formalisation/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Anambra State, a prominent commercial center in Nigeria's South-East region, is intensifying its digital transformation initiative aimed at integrating more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) into the formal economy by 2030. The state's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) agency, under its second phase of the digital strategy, is shifting focus from establishing basic technology infrastructure to enhancing online government services, automating public administration, and leveraging digital platforms to formalize businesses. This forward-thinking approach is part of a broader economic modernization agenda spearheaded by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, a prominent economist and former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor. The ICT agency's director, Chukwuemeka Agbata, emphasized the goal of digitizing every government entity in Anambra State and making more public services accessible remotely. The agency is expanding the OneGov platform, enabling residents and businesses to initiate government processes online, thereby reducing the time and cost associated with dealing with the government. Simultaneously, the agency is developing and automating websites for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to move beyond merely providing information to delivering government services online. The digital strategy is also closely linked to efforts to formalize SMEs, a significant challenge in the state. By encouraging businesses to register and participate in the formal economy, the ICT agency aims to improve their access to financial services, credit, insurance, government programs, and procurement opportunities. Digital platforms can also reduce the administrative burden and costs of registering and maintaining businesses, especially for smaller enterprises. Early adoption of the Smart Anambra platform has indicated a strong demand for digital government services, with the platform recording approximately 14,000 visits between July 9 and 29, averaging around 700 visits per day despite limited publicity. The agency plans to expand the number of available services online and use data from these interactions to identify bottlenecks and improve service delivery. Additionally, the state intends to move towards paperless administration, with the State Executive Council already operating a paperless system. However, connectivity remains a potential challenge, as telecommunications operators may be reluctant to invest in rural areas, limiting access to online public services for communities that could benefit the most. The ICT agency is exploring the use of federal infrastructure and the Universal Service Provision Fund to extend connectivity to underserved communities. Furthermore, the adoption of artificial intelligence is expected to become a crucial element of the state's digital strategy, with the ICT agency aiming to become Nigeria's first AI-native government technology institution. AI could support automated customer service, document processing, fraud detection, data analysis, and other government functions, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness. However, this expansion of digital government also underscores the importance of cybersecurity and data protection measures to safeguard residents' and businesses' information and transactions.",
  "summary": "Anambra State is accelerating its digital transformation to formalise SMEs by 2030, expanding online government services and automating public administrati Read More: https://punchng.com/anambra-deepens-digital-push-targets-sme-formalisation/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Anambra deepens digital push, targets SME formalisation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/anambra-deepens-digital-push-targets-sme-formalisation",
        "published": "2026-08-17T00:26:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}