Contest| Blockchain in Government Services

For a moment, let’s sit and think of a world, where government services are actually fast, transparent and secure. By integrating blockchain technology into government parastatal, such dreams can become a reality. This will revolutionize how governments service are been delivered.

I know you might be interested to know how blockchain is already transforming government around the world…
But before I go ahead, let me invite @justiceanietie, @blessb and @ameh123.

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Before talking about how we can integrate blockchain technology into our government systems, is important we know the ”features of blockchains” and this includes:

• Decentralization. One of the core features of blockchain technology is to destroy centralized authority. This ensures that no single person has the power to control an entire system in order to prevent manipulation or corrupt practices.

• Transparency: There’s no transaction you do on blockchain that is hidden. Is there for all participants to see. This builds trust because whatever you do can be verified

• Immutability: Once data is recorded in a blockchain, Just forget about it, no spirit can erase it off. This will avoid any one, especially with bad intentions from tampering with your personal information.

• Automation: once your terms and conditions are written into a smart contract on a blockchain, it self executes automatically without you going through the stress of doing it manually.

• Security: is one major feature that has put blockchain technology in the spotlight. Everyone wants to protect their personal information. So, blockchain technology adopts the cryptographic techniques to secure data, making it difficult to be hacked.

Now that we’re done exploring the features of blockchain technology, let’s discuss how this features can be applied in government parastatals to streamline bureaucracy and reduce corruption:

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• Improving transparency and accountability in the public sector:

All illegal activities done by political officers and high ranking officials in public sector to siphon money will be easily detected if blockchain technology is integrated into government parastatals. This will encourage transparency and make everyone accountable because every transaction is easily tracked.

• Automated Processes:

With the aid of a smart contract, all property and land disputes will be curbed. Unnecessary paperwork and intermediaries will be discarded, simply by using the right code or command written in the smart contract. This will reduce the errors and fasten the process.

• Identity Management:

In Nigeria, all those challenges of ghost workers, stealing pensioners salaries by impersonating them and all other fraudulent activities in public service will be nipped in the bud if blockchain technology is introduced. Projects like uPort and Sovrin offer secure and verifiable identities for citizens, reducing fraud to the barest minimum.

• Voting Systems:

In Nigeria today, two third of the population find it hard to come out and vote because they believe their vote doesn’t count. The perspective out there is that the winner had already been decided even before the Election Day. But blockchain technology can be a game changer if it’s introduced in election because it will be able to reduce electoral malpractice and provide a verifiable and tamper-proof record of votes.

• Immutable Records:

In public sector, you never can tell who hates you and might alter some files on your desk just to put you in trouble. But with blockchain nature, once a transaction is recorded it can never be deleted or altered by any haters.

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• Estonia:

With the use of blockchain technology, anyone, anywhere in the world can apply for Estonia digital ID card through their e-residency program. This ID is stored on blockchain and gives you access to a secured online transactions, registration of your company and banking.

Estonia health care system also leverage on blockchain technology to secure patient health records. Patient have the power to control their data and allow whoever they deems fit access to his medical records. The purpose of this is to ensure privacy.

• Georgia:

In order to avoid property or land disputes, Georgia adopted the blockchain technology for a smooth and transparent process. Making it easy and efficient to do buying and selling.

• Dubai:

Dubai uses blockchain technology to issue and verify traveling documents in order to boost the security at border control points. Dubai also have aims of being the first city to be fully powered by blockchain. If this project is successfully carried out, it will save a lot of money on paper works

Sierra Leone:

In order to foster a free and fair election, Sierra Leone opted for the blockchain technology in 2018. This system provided a transparent and tamper-proof record of votes and it was void from fraudulent activities.

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• People might find it difficult to adopt to this new change, if they don’t buy the idea. For instance, the elderly ones, who find it hard to embrace technology, they might find blockchain technology difficult to navigate and resist the idea.

• Government parastatals run very large volumes of transactions on a daily basis for the economy to work effectively. Blockchain technology needs to be scalable to handle such transactions.

• If government is to integrate blockchain technology into government systems, it will be really expensive. So, government need to be ready to invest a lot in the necessary infrastructure and expertise to implement and manage blockchain systems effectively.

• A well set out rules and standards are required to ensure the lawful and ethical use of blockchain technology in government services and address legal considerations.