The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that he was invited to attend the 28th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC commonly known as COP28, but opted to join the conference virtually on account of the reforms initiated to develop the State’s digital economy.
In a chat with BBC Pidgin, the governor who reeled out a list of achievements recorded in the last seven years of his administration in the State, noted that the state has transitioned to paperless work mode which has made working in Edo civil and public service flexible, better and more productive.
According to him, “I was invited to attend the COP28 in Dubai, but I told them I am going to join them virtually. We have a lot to showcase in the state as regards climate change. We are tackling deforestation, planting trees and preserving our land. Illegal tree logging is causing erosion in the state and we are determined to end the trend. It is still raining in December; there is climate change and we are working to protect our people.”
Obaseki noted that the state is massively investing in the digital economy especially with investment in digital infrastructure and manpower development.
He said: “In terms of technology, we have trained 6 cohorts of 100 students each on software engineering. Some of them are working for blue-chip companies from Edo here. We have deployed 2000km of fibre optic cable infrastructure across the State’s 18 local government areas. That is why we are able to go fully paperless in the State’s civil and public service.”
