By Okechukwu Onuegbu
Christian Aid Nigeria, an international Non Governmental Organisation, has launched data management system (DMS) in Anambra State, with a view to improve on policy making, implementation and accountability.
The project, unveiled in Awka at close-out of the Evidence and Collaboration for Inclusive Development (ECID) programme funded by UK aid and led by Christian Aid in collaboration with Civil Rights Concern (CRC), Hope Givers Initiative (HOG-I) and Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) Onitsha, would help generates subjective and objective data to increase accountability, responsiveness and effectiveness of civil society organisations, government and private sectors.
Mr Stephen Igwue, who presented the DMS, explained that the platform would be served from the state controlled online infrastructure, and accessible to all including the Anambra State Bureau of Statistics.
Also speaking, representatives of Christian Aid, Mrs Uzo Uzoma, her counterparts from Hope Givers Initiative, Mrs Onyeka Udeagbunem, and Okey Onyeka of the Civil Rights Concern, disclosed that the project became possible because ECID exposed them to the impact of data in governance especially in reaching out to the unreached and the grassroots.
The partners agreed to sustain data gathering and management programme through advocacy campaigns and community reporters charged with the responsibilities of collating and updating DMS, researchers and others with accurate and unbiased data across the 179 communities in Anambra State.
Contributing, the Anambra State Commissioner for Budgeting and Development Partners, Mr Mark Okoye; Chief Titus Akpudo, the National President of the Association of Town Unions (ASATU); and Mr Patrick Ugboaja of the Anambra State Universal Basic Education (ASUBEB) also gave nod for the project sustainability, noting that data was fulcrum for improved service delivery to the privileged and the less privileged.
Earlier, Dr Ben Nwosu of the University of Nigeria Enugu campus, while presenting a research finding, identified unethical issues, corrupt practices, poor knowledge and lackadaisical attitudes as reasons why people and institutions fail to keep data.