ANTIC is currently training IT administrators of municipal councils in the Centre Region on the integration of ICTs into council daily operations with a view to fostering local governance. This is taking place within the ambit of a three-day capacity building seminar under the theme: “Local Development in the Era of Digital Transformation,” at Mbalngong, on the outskirts of Yaoundé.

Skills acquired at the seminar are expected to help councils of the region boost their online presence. According to the Director General of ANTIC, Prof. Ebot Ebot Enaw, this presence is still at its infancy with barely 18 out of 71 councils owning websites representing 25.3%, and just 42 councils in possession of Facebook pages.

In a keynote address at the outset of the seminar today, Prof. Ebot Ebot Enaw emphasized that the initiative is equally part of ANTIC’s contribution to government’s decentralization efforts.  The goal, he said, is to equip IT administrators of municipal councils in the Centre Region with 21st-century skills, enabling them to leverage the potential of ICT to improve the accessibility, quality, and cost-effectiveness of council services.

The Director General urged councils to adopt and integrate ICT into their operations, stressing that ICT is no longer optional but a necessity, given its potential to fundamentally transform local development, improve public service delivery, increase revenue collection, and enhance citizen engagement.

He further noted that the seminar equally feature an assessment of the ICT needs of councils in the Centre Region to establish a clear picture of ICT penetration and guide future strategies and interventions.

For this year’s event, as has been the case with five previous editions, ANTIC is partnering with key stakeholders notably MINDDEVEL, FEICOM, BUNEC, ARMP, PNDP and PROLOG underscoring the importance of collaborative efforts in advancing digital transformation at the local level.

The seminar’s agenda, shaped by contributions from these partners, is designed to encourage insightful discussions and provide practical training on topics critical to ICT adoption in councils. The themes to be covered include the development of IT Master Plans, building secure information systems, the digitalization of civil status registers, ICT project funding, change management, and the ICT project management cycle.

To date, ANTIC has already trained IT personnel from 159 councils, representing 44% of the nation’s 360 councils, on integrating ICT into daily council operations.