By Dayo Adesulu

VODACOM has partnered Kaduna State to launch an ICT development initiative that will support mass service delivery in healthcare, education and agriculture through the deployment of tailored ICT solutions to promote greater efficiency in each sector.

Speaking at the launch, chief executive officer of Vodacom Business, Vuyani Jarana, said Vodacom is taking the lead in leveraging on mobile technology to address healthcare, education and agricultural challenges in Africa.

He said “We see technology playing an increasing role as an enabler of economic development as governments on the continent are able to leapfrog developmental stages. Vodacom’s critical role through its partnership with Kaduna State is to help improve service delivery in the region, supporting healthy, well-educated and economically active citizens.”

He explained that Vodacom is experienced with readily available mobile technology capabilities used for increasing access to and improving delivery efficiency in health, education and agriculture services.

”We have successfully delivered such capabilities to the private and public sectors in East and southern Africa in the last five years. These solutions are transforming the communication landscape on the African continent as key enablers for economic growth. Vodacom has also introduced a mobile school management solution in Kaduna State which provides real-time visibility of all management activities at schools.

“A school feeding programme module allows the state to monitor feeding programmes in schools to ensure that pupils on the programmes receive quality meals. The district office has access to real time reports on teacher and learner data through the application. The solution, which uses mobile phone and tablet technology, will be implemented in 4,000 schools across the State,” he said.

Lauding the progressive evolution of the partnership with Vodacom, Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, said the state was delighted to apply technology to advance governance and the delivery of public services. He said “Working with Vodacom will further enhance service delivery, improve data collection and strengthen accountability in the state.”