From a federal start to Anambra's platforms
BRINCS began at the federal level in 2023, digitalising recruitment at the Federal Civil Service Commission — and was built to be handed on and reach more MDAs. This cohort answered that charge in Anambra State. Anambra has built websites, portals and applications across many Ministries, Departments and Agencies — but the existence of a platform does not guarantee effective digital government. So we asked the harder question: do these platforms actually work for citizens?
Resilience is the ability of the civil service to keep delivering dependable public services despite:
The lineage of the work
BRINCS did not begin in Anambra. It began at the federal level — and was deliberately designed to be handed on. Each cohort inherits a foundation and expands its reach.
Founding BRINCS — the FCSC
The first cohort launched BRINCS at the Federal Civil Service Commission on 4 October 2023 — building and deploying an E-Recruitment platform for the Recruitment & Promotion Arm, training champion staff, and handing over a Manual of Execution. Its closing charge: brief the next cohort and expand the reach to more MDAs.
Answering that charge — Anambra
This cohort carried BRINCS from a single federal commission out to State-level MDAs. We built a unified evaluation manual, assessed 17 priority Anambra platforms against it, and produced evidence the ICT Agency can act on.
Continuity
Future cohorts can re-run the same review quarterly and extend it to new MDAs — no need to reinvent the methodology. The documentation survives changes of officers and administrations.
Nine questions no one could answer consistently
Without a uniform assessment framework, different government platforms could be built and maintained to inconsistent standards. We needed to be able to answer, for any platform:
Poorly governed platforms are not just a technical inconvenience
They erode the very thing the civil service exists to provide: dependable service, regardless of who is in office. Left unmanaged, they can lead to —
Two states considered. One clear entry point.
Anambra State
SELECTEDStronger immediate partnership readiness, existing digitisation activity, leadership interest, and a clear entry point through the State ICT Agency.
Ekiti State
CONSIDEREDAn opportunity around recruitment digitisation, but requiring significant infrastructure investment — including an estimated ₦8 million for servers and security software.
Government willingness
The ICT Agency was open to collaboration.
Leadership access
A practical route to decision-makers.
Existing ecosystem
Active platforms across many sectors.
Budget & support
Existing investment reduced funding needs.
Real impact
Findings could inform official MDA action.
From choosing a state to government validation
Choosing a state
Compared Anambra and Ekiti on readiness, cost, leadership support and project continuity.
Understanding Anambra's priorities
The ICT Agency identified recruitment digitisation, application testing, maintenance and digital-asset documentation as priorities.
Choosing the project direction
Weighed workflow design, platform testing, or a hybrid of both.
Establishing the deliverables
Agreed to a credible review report, a reusable template, checklists, and continuity documents for future teams.
Defining the review model
Split the work into technical and non-technical review streams.
Progress & accountability reset
Addressed delays, access problems, participation and workload — resetting tasks and documentation expectations.
Government validation
The ICT Agency requested reproducible evidence capable of supporting official communications to MDA heads — turning a classroom exercise into actionable government documentation.
Focused, not exhaustive
Government websites and online services identified as possible review targets.
Prioritised e-service platforms most closely connected to direct citizen service delivery.
Platform-evaluation documents completed — an expansion beyond the initial target while keeping high-impact focus.
Ownership for 14 of 17 platforms is confirmed; 3 entries still require formal MDA confirmation.
The resilience story inside the project
The challenges were not a side story. They shaped the final value of the work — clearer scope, stronger evidence and a repeatable framework.
Unclear initial direction
Adapted: a hybrid intervention — credible review + reusable standard + continuity documents + workflow thinking.
A very large digital ecosystem
Adapted: prioritised direct citizen-facing e-services and split the work into focused checklist areas.
Restricted access to core journeys
Adapted: front-end and passive checks, “Cannot Test” ratings, and access escalation — no unauthorised backend testing.
Platforms down or hard to reach
Adapted: availability itself became a finding — exact errors recorded, access escalated, uptime monitoring recommended.
Inconsistent early evidence
Adapted: reworked findings with exact paths, screenshots, device/browser/date and severity — reproducible by any officer.
Participation & accountability
Adapted: weekly meetings reinforced, tasks tracked and reassigned, absences communicated early.
Government transition
Adapted: a state retreat replaced 60%+ of previous appointees — so findings were framed for incoming MDA heads, with named owners recommended and documentation prized over individual memory. This is exactly why BRINCS exists.