The Anambra State ICT Agency has commenced the deployment of a locally trained artificial intelligence (AI) system to automate its operations and explore the application of AI in governance, revenue management and public-sector productivity.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Mr. Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, disclosed this on Thursday during a virtual parley with journalists, where he outlined the priorities of his second tenure and the Agency’s evolving digital transformation agenda.
Agbata said the AI initiative formed part of the Agency’s broader strategy to build on the gains recorded during his first tenure, with greater emphasis on leveraging emerging technologies to accelerate development across the state.
He explained that the Agency did not develop a frontier large language model from scratch, given the enormous computing and financial resources required, but instead adopted an open-source model which it has modified and trained locally for specific use cases.
According to him, the first major application of the technology has been the automation of the Agency’s internal processes.
“We have started doing our own local AI system. It is an open-source system, so we didn’t build our own frontier model. We basically looked at open source and modified it, and we are training it,” Agbata said.
He added that the system had already been deployed to automate the Agency’s operations end-to-end, describing the experience as a demonstration of how AI could be adapted to improve government processes.
“We have used it to automate our agency end-to-end. Everything that we do now is currently automated,” he said.
Agbata noted that the Agency was now exploring how the model could be replicated across other areas of government, particularly in improving productivity, addressing revenue leakages and strengthening governance.
He said the experience had already produced a noticeable improvement in productivity within the Agency, adding that the immediate objective was to demonstrate practical, locally relevant applications of AI rather than pursue technology development for its own sake.
The CEO said the AI initiative represented a major component of what he described internally as the Agency’s “2.0” phase, following his reappointment by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
He recalled that when the governor informed him of his reappointment, he asked what would be different in his second tenure.
Agbata said his response was to build on existing achievements in infrastructure, capacity development, e-governance and smart government, while introducing stronger emphasis on AI-driven development.
He attributed the Agency’s recognition at the National Council on Innovation and Digital Economy to its work in smart government, noting that the experience had reinforced the importance of deploying technology to solve practical governance challenges.
According to him, the Agency’s new phase would focus on “how we drive development, leveraging AI and other infrastructure,” with the goal of extending the benefits of digital transformation beyond the ICT sector.
Free Wi-Fi Remains Operational
Agbata also clarified that the state’s free public Wi-Fi initiative was not introduced as a campaign project, stressing that the programme predated the electioneering period.
He explained that the strategy was only adjusted during the campaigns to enable residents to follow the governor’s activities and participate in live engagements while on the move.
“The free Wi-Fi didn’t start as a political thing, a campaign thing. It started way before the campaigns,” he said.
According to him, the initiative was conceived as part of the state government’s broader technology agenda, particularly the objective of ensuring that residents could access the internet for business, education and other everyday activities.
He confirmed that the existing Wi-Fi locations remain operational, including facilities at the state secretariat, although occasional downtime occurs, particularly during periods of adverse weather.
“There are downtimes now and then because with the rains and all of that, these things have their uptime and their downtimes, but it is still very much available,” he said.
Agbata, however, disclosed that there were currently no plans to establish additional Wi-Fi locations, noting that the existing sites were still providing service despite occasional weather-related interruptions.
He expressed appreciation to journalists and other stakeholders for their continued support of the Agency, saying the media remained an important partner in communicating the state’s digital transformation initiatives.
Agbata also pledged to deepen engagement with the media and other stakeholders during his second tenure, expressing optimism that the Agency would have more achievements to celebrate before the end of the four years.