From: Femi Oyelola in Kaduna
Key stakeholders in Kaduna State have called on the media to play a leading role in promoting transparency, accountability, and value-for-money outcomes in public infrastructure delivery.
This was asserted during a media parley to strengthen collaboration between the government, civil society, private sector, and the media.
The event was organised by Kaduna State Public Procurement Authority (KADPPA) and the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST)
Representing the Commissioner of the Planning and Budget Commission, Bashir Ladan, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, emphasized the vital role of the media in amplifying reforms, holding government accountable, and sustaining transparency.
He announced the launch of a state-of-the-art infrastructure and Procurement Data Portal, equipped with Artificial Intelligence for efficient data access and climate-responsive data points.
The portal, developed by KADPPA, is tailored for water and infrastructure-related projects and will enable journalists to access procurement data and promote standard reporting practices. Engr. Suleiman Abba, Director at KADPPA, outlined the workshop’s objectives, highlighting the importance of transparency in infrastructure projects.
Tara Jeremiah Wyah, CoST Manager, highlighted Kaduna’s pioneering role as the first subnational government in Nigeria to join CoST. He noted that Kaduna’s adoption of the Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard (OC4IDS) and Infrastructure Transparency Index (ITI) is raising the bar for openness in project monitoring.
The event concluded with a call for continued collaboration with the media to ensure that public infrastructure investments meet global standards and deliver real impact for citizens.
