The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Malam Mele Kyari, have won the 2023 Nigeria GovTech Awards for exceptional service delivery in the public sector.

While the National Oil Company won the Best Federal MDA in Digital Initiatives in Reengineering Government Processes Award, the GCEO carted home the Distinguished GovTech Trailblazer Award.

The awards were in recognition of the GCEO leadership’s proactive steps in activating the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) that is hinged on digital automation of the company’s processes.

The single, sure-footed act of automation, emplaced to, among others, mitigate the effects of COVID-19, has brought about efficiency, high performance, and sustenance of the NNPC Ltd’s operations post-pandemic, for which the GCEO is now referred to as “Mr. Automation” in the industry.

Significantly, the GCEO, through the NNPC IT Division, automated Key Performance Indicator Dashboard across the entire IT Enterprise and Architecture, thereby improving reporting efficiency real-time performance tracking.

Kyari also activated Microsoft Enterprise Additional Licenses for NNPC Digital Transformation initiatives, leading to an estimated cost-saving of over $1 million to the Company.

Indeed, both the NNPC Ltd. and the GCEO shone like a thousand stars at the venue of the awards at the International Conference Centre on October 13, 2023. The event had as its theme “Advancing Public Service Reforms Through Digital Transformation.”

The Nigeria GovTech Awards were given by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), an agency under the Presidency in aid of federal government’s initiative designed to bring governments at the federal, state, local levels, and actors in the technology industry together to discuss and identify new ways and emerging trends in which ICT could be used to transform public service and improve the general well-being of Nigerians.

In clinching the award, the NNPC Ltd. and its GCEO, Malam Kyari outclassed several other contestants in the public sector even as it was clear that the BPSR selection process was anchored on merit, thus strengthening the credibility of the selection process and the subsequent awards.

The DG of BPSR, Dasuki Arabi had commended Mele Kyari’s deployment of technology in driving business at the NNPC Ltd in addition to his exemplary leadership in advancing GovTech initiatives and digital governance within the nation’s oil conglomerate, in line with the Federal Government digital transformation in the public sector.

It would be recalled that prior to the presentation of the awards, Mr. Arabi had, in a letter dated 19th September 2023 to the NNPC Ltd’s GCEO, said that “Sequel to a nationwide nomination and online voting process initiated on Radio, Television and Newspaper publication, we are pleased to inform you that your organisation will be honoured with the prestigious Nigeria GovTech Award in the category of ‘Best Federal: MDA in digital initiatives in reengineering government processes’.”

Arabi had also said that the awards represented a veritable platform aimed at repositioning the Nigerian public service as an engine of reforms in the country.