Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Clem Ikanade Agba, has justified the development and planned deployment of the ‘Eye-Mark Web Application’ in tracking, monitoring and evaluating execution of development projects embarked upon by the Federal Government countrywide.
Agba said that the GRID 3 geo-spatial technology, which is domiciled in the Monitoring and Evaluation Department in the Planning Arm of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, would ensure transparency and integrity in projects execution through citizen participation.
He spoke in Abuja when he received a draft policy document on National Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E), which is a tool to measure results and link evaluation evidence to policy, planning and budgeting processes to promote public accountability and learning for improved performance.
The document, which is the first draft policy on M & E in Nigeria, was developed by a tripartite team comprising Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and a consultant, Ian C. Davies. Agba said that government would henceforth not only “earmark money” for development projects but also “eye-mark” the progress of work in the execution of such projects nationwide as captured in the budget.
He stated that the intent of the “eye-mark web app” was to use geo-spatial technology to monitor the progress of all projects that are layered on the Nigerian map with the longitudes and latitudes of the projects clearly indicated.
According to him, whereas ministries, departments and agencies were involved in their monitoring and evaluation, the National M & E would deploy the “eye-mark web app” in correlating evaluation claims and reports.
The minister said that the country was big and therefore the “eye-mark web application on the GRID 3 technology was to help to facilitate the process of robust and effective projects monitoring and evaluation.
The application, according to Agba, would serve as a platform where citizens could upload pictures/records on the progress of work regarding various projects in their jurisdictions in such a way that nobody can file in false or defective evaluation and monitoring reports/claims.