Sola POPOOLA
State and non-state actors converged on Ado-Ekiti the Ekiti State capital for Anti-Corruption Hackathon Workshop organised by Accountability Lab in partnership with United Nations Development Programme(UNDP- Nigeria) ,Open Contracting and the Ekiti Bureau of Public Procurement, through the Nigeria Anti-corruption Innovation .
Project, is building on existing progress to adopt the use of procurement data and innovative technologies to improve access to good quality procurement data that will be used for analysis and monitoring of risks, support informed decision making and create awareness of the various projects the government is embarking on in Ekiti State. Journalists and Civil Society will be educated on Contracting Process from budget till implementation.
AL Nigeria has a track record of creating engaging campaigns and leveraging existing partnerships to develop activities aimed at reaching those who are not normally included in governance conversations through unlikely networks.
This hackathon engagement is premised on Improving government procurement data including public access: Developing tech ideas for public procurement processes to improve paper-based systems, improper contracting procedures, unclear regulations, and poor efficiency in tracking public contracts.
And catalyzing the use of procurement data for advocacy, monitoring, and feedback mechanisms: Implementing open contracting under the watchful eye of citizen and CSO engagement, presents Nigerian states with the opportunity to address loopholes within procurement processes, improve service delivery, and attain greater levels of transparency around spending, e.g. develop story sprints.
The workshop drew participants from the Media, Civil Society Organisations, Nigeria Bar Association, Techprenuers, Innovators and Public Sectors.