North-Western Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Luckson Mulumbi, says government is committed to the delivery of effective and efficient public services to citizens through digitalisation.
Mr Mulumbi said this when a delegation from the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship under the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security paid a courtesy call on him in Solwezi today.
He commended the Ministry for introducing the electronic passport registration system, describing it as a major milestone in the digitisation of public services.
The media reports that Mr Mulumbi further called on members of the public to support the initiative, saying it will play a key role in promoting accountability and transparency in the provision of government services.
The Provincial Deputy Permanent Secretary also praised President Hakainde Hichilema for his strong commitment to the digitalisation of public services as a way of enhancing transparency and efficiency.
“We are very happy about this initiative and we commend President Hakainde Hichilema, who has been very keen and has continued to encourage us to digitise public services because that is the only way we can seal up financial leakages, deal with fraud and address challenges that sometimes make access to government services difficult,” Mr Mulumbi said.
Meanwhile, Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship Deputy Registrar, Kennedy Chisumpa, said the delegation was in North-Western to conduct sensitisation on the newly launched online passport registration system, which was introduced last December.
General Chisumpa said the electronic passport application system is aimed at enhancing efficiency in the issuance of passports to citizens.
He explained that the delegation will meet heads of government departments and train district officers across the province to assist in the processing of online passport applications.
“The system is expected to be more efficient and effective because we have been facing challenges with the manual system, such as long queues that accumulate daily as people try to access our services and acquire passports,” he said.
And, Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security Information and Communications Technology Director, Edward Chiteta said the introduction of the Government Service Bus through Smart Zambia has played a critical role in bringing services closer to the people.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security last year in December launched the online passport registration system as part of efforts to decongest long queues that previously characterised offices of the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship.
