The Benue State Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology and Innovation yesterday played host to the Benue Digital Infrastructure Company BDIC at the conference Hall of the Ministry’s headquarters in a strategic meeting on avenues of effectively setting up a Benue Digital Artisans Hub in the State.

The Benue Digital Artisans Hub is a Multi-Ministerial Digital platform that brings together buyers and sellers with the State Government collaborating with BDIC to mediate, by registering Artisan, training and retraining, certifying, and laying down guidelines regulating and monitoring the activities of Artisans in the State.

The Honorable Commissioner for Energy, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr. James Dwem who made this known in his address said, it has become a matter of necessity that the administration of Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia creates a Digital platform to tackle quackery and checkmate illegalities by Artisans, citing cases of unqualified Artisans who deceive customers and illegal house agents who multi-tax house seekers and occupants by doubling the cost of rents and agent fee without the knowledge of house owners thereby making life unbearable for citizens in the State.

The Commissioner further stated that, the meeting is also aimed at bringing together key stakeholders to contribute their quota into the project as the Ministry is working on its website to facilitate the smooth running of the project for easy accessibility.

Earlier, in their separate speeches, the Head of Cybersecurity and Quality Assurance BDIC, Mhambe Orduen and the Technical Assistant to Group Managing Director, BDIC, Samson Dzungwe said, in line with the vision of the Benue State Government to modernize and promote professionalism in state and enhance effective service delivery, the Benue Digital Infrastructure company BDIC is working closely with the Benue State Ministry of Energy Science Technology and Innovation to build a comprehensive data base of all Artisans in their field of specialization in the state to be registered and on-board by the government, trained and retrained after which they are licensed to operate.

These exercises will serve as an avenue to fight quackery and protect the right of the Benue citizen to access quality service delivery. They further emphasized that the initiative of creating a Digital Artisan Hub, reflects the government’s unwavering commitment to ease seamless connectivity of doing business, digital governance, and improved service delivery for all residents and investors in the state.