By ENITAN ABEL JOHNGOLD ORHERUATA

The Delta State Government has highlighted its strides in digital governance, public information management, transparency and technology-driven service delivery, disclosing plans to unveil an indigenous social networking platform, Delta Chat, as part of efforts to deepen digital participation and promote homegrown innovation.

The government also showcased its Project Tracking Portal, a public-facing digital platform designed to provide citizens, journalists, stakeholders and development partners with access to information on projects undertaken by the present administration, including their geographical locations and reported implementation status.

These developments were highlighted during a media briefing by the Executive Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Mr Felix Ofou, alongside the State Webmaster, Mr Louis Zukumour Osiobe, who provided insights into the activities, achievements and ongoing initiatives of their respective offices.

The briefing, according to Ofou, was intended to bring to public attention some of the behind-the-scenes activities of the New Media Office and the Office of the State Webmaster, particularly as the New Media Office marks three years of operation.

He explained that while the activities of the New Media Office, including its online publication, The Revelation, were relatively familiar to the public, the technical and digital governance responsibilities undertaken by the Office of the State Webmaster had not received sufficient public attention.

Ofou recalled that the Delta State Government website had previously been reported to have attained third position nationally in an assessment by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), noting that government websites operating under the .gov.ng domain are subject to regulatory and technical requirements.

He said the briefing was therefore an opportunity to provide the media with a clearer understanding of the work being undertaken by the State Webmaster, the milestones recorded and the emerging digital initiatives of the state government.

Presenting an overview of the state’s digital infrastructure, Osiobe described the official Delta State Government website, www.deltastate.gov.ng, as a central digital gateway designed to connect citizens, businesses, investors and other stakeholders with government information, institutions and public services.

He disclosed that the platform had evolved beyond a conventional government website to incorporate digital tools aimed at improving accessibility, transparency, accountability and ease of doing business.

According to him, the state’s briefing position is that its government website ranks among the top two state government websites in Nigeria, a standing also reflected in the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) e-Government assessment associated with its nationwide visitation exercise conducted in August.

Among the features highlighted is an artificial intelligence-powered digital assistant that enables visitors to make enquiries, obtain automated responses and navigate available government information and services.

Osiobe explained that where the AI assistant is unable to adequately address a user’s enquiry, the platform provides a referral pathway to human support, ensuring that visitors are not left without assistance.

He also drew attention to the website’s text-to-speech functionality, which reads published content aloud, making government information more accessible to persons with visual impairments, reading difficulties and other accessibility needs.

The website further provides centralised access to the online platforms and digital resources of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), while offering information on government service procedures, access to Delta State laws and relevant local government information.

Of particular significance, he said, is the availability of information relating to local government budgets and implementation updates, which provides an additional channel for citizens to monitor public expenditure and government activities at the grassroots.

PROJECT TRACKING PORTAL DEEPENS TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

In another significant component of the state’s digital governance framework, the Office of the State Webmaster has developed the Delta State Project Tracking Portal, accessible through project.deltastate.gov.ng, to provide the public with a centralised platform for accessing information on projects undertaken by the present administration.

The portal represents an important step towards strengthening open governance by moving beyond conventional project announcements to providing a digital platform through which citizens can examine project details, identify project locations and monitor reported implementation progress.

Designed for citizens, journalists, stakeholders and development partners, the platform provides statewide visibility of projects across the various Local Government Areas (LGAs), making it easier for members of the public to access information about government projects within their communities and across the state.

Figures presented in the project-tracking briefing indicated that no Local Government Area had recorded fewer than 50 projects on the platform, underscoring the administration’s reported spread of project interventions across the state.

The briefing also indicated that more than 75 per cent of the projects captured on the platform were reported as completed.

Another important feature of the portal is its location-linked project information, which enables users to identify the geographical locations of projects and examine the information published about them. It also displays reported project implementation statuses, providing an additional avenue for public monitoring and scrutiny.

The portal’s project-count-by-LGA dashboard further provides a visual overview of the distribution of projects across the state’s 25 local government areas.

Beyond documenting government interventions, the platform is intended to promote accountability and encourage more informed public discussion by making project information easier to access and scrutinise.

Its introduction reinforces the state government’s commitment to using digital technology not only to communicate government activities but also to provide platforms through which citizens can independently engage with published information on project distribution and implementation.

The initiative is particularly significant in an era when citizens increasingly demand accessible information about public expenditure, infrastructure delivery and development interventions in their communities.

By bringing project information, geographical locations and reported implementation status together in one digital environment, the Project Tracking Portal strengthens the information infrastructure available to citizens and other stakeholders interested in monitoring development across Delta State.

The platform is accessible at project.deltastate.gov.ng.

WEBSITE PERFORMANCE AND GROWING DIGITAL REACH

The official government website also allows citizens, businesses and prospective investors to access published government information outside conventional office hours, thereby reducing the limitations associated with physical visits to government establishments.

On the website’s reach and public engagement, Osiobe disclosed that Google Analytics figures presented during the briefing showed more than 600 visits weekly and over 30,000 visits within the year.

He clarified that the figures related exclusively to the central Delta State Government website and did not include traffic generated by the individual websites of the various MDAs.

The analytics dashboard also indicated visits from countries including Nigeria, China, Singapore, the United States, Brazil, Argentina and India, with traffic coming through channels such as organic searches, direct visits, referrals and social media.

The development, he noted, underscored the growing reach of the state’s digital presence beyond its immediate geographical boundaries and its potential to serve as an information resource for investors, researchers, businesses and other stakeholders interested in Delta State.

On the broader economic implications, the State Webmaster maintained that an accessible and functional government website was an important component of the state’s ease-of-doing-business agenda.

He explained that providing reliable information on government institutions, regulatory requirements, service procedures and applicable laws would help reduce information barriers, improve public access and make it easier for businesses and prospective investors to navigate government processes.

DELTA CHAT: INDIGENOUS SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORM IN THE PIPELINE

Beyond the existing digital infrastructure, the briefing also provided an opportunity to introduce Delta Chat, an indigenous social networking platform being developed to bring multiple communication and content-sharing features together in one digital environment.

The platform, accessible through www.deltachat.com.ng, is designed to combine familiar features of established social networking platforms, including Facebook, X and Instagram, within a single online community.

Its features include status updates and stories, private instant messaging, friend requests, user following, short-form posts, photo and video sharing, as well as push notifications to keep members informed about messages and other interactions.

The platform also incorporates community-building and global interaction features, enabling users to connect and engage with other members across geographical boundaries.

According to the presentation, Delta Chat also supports bulk notification and messaging functions for authorised use, potentially providing additional communication capabilities within its digital ecosystem.

The initiative was presented as a demonstration of indigenous technological capacity and the state’s interest in encouraging homegrown solutions that can contribute to the expanding digital economy.

While its unveiling is expected to bring the platform to wider public attention, its long-term relevance will depend on user adoption, effective management, data protection, cybersecurity and sustained improvements in its functionality.

DIGITAL GOVERNANCE AS AN INSTRUMENT OF DEVELOPMENT

Taken together, the initiatives highlighted during the briefing demonstrate a broader approach to digital governance in Delta State, with technology being deployed not only to improve government communication but also to expand access to public services, strengthen transparency and encourage citizen participation.

From the official government website and its AI-powered digital assistant to the Project Tracking Portal, the state is building digital platforms that make government information more accessible while creating additional channels for citizens to engage with public institutions and monitor government activities.

The Project Tracking Portal, in particular, adds a project-accountability dimension to the state’s digital presence, allowing public access to information on project distribution, geographical locations and reported implementation progress.

Similarly, the central government website supports access to information on MDAs, government procedures, state laws, local government budgets and other public resources, while Delta Chat represents an emerging effort to expand the state’s participation in the digital innovation and social networking space.

For businesses and prospective investors, the availability of accessible government information and digital service channels can help reduce information barriers and improve the ease of navigating government processes.

For citizens, the combination of digital public services, project information and online communication platforms offers additional opportunities to stay informed, participate in public discourse and scrutinise government activities.

For the New Media Office and the Office of the State Webmaster, the briefing was also an opportunity to bring their less visible contributions into the public domain and demonstrate how digital infrastructure can complement the state government’s wider development and public service delivery objectives.

As Delta State continues to expand its digital governance architecture, the effective utilisation, regular updating, security and sustainability of these platforms will be important in ensuring that the benefits of technology translate into improved public access, transparency, accountability and service delivery.