The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, wants the Nigerian government to deploy an Open Contracting Data Standard, OCDS, platform in the country to promote transparency in award of contracts.
The organization gave the advise after it reached an agreement to adopt the standard in its operations.
The deployment of the contracting standard is a part of a partnership agreement by NEITI and Public-Private Development Centre, PPDC, to promote transparency by providing the public access to the agency’s procurement and contracting information.
Since 2016, the PPDC in collaboration with the Pan Atlantic University School of Media and Communication, along with the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, have been advocating the adoption of the OCDS by the Nigerian government in its contract award processes.
Consequently, Budeshi was deployed and used as an outreach tool to demonstrate the utility of the OCDS.
In line with the agreement, PPDC would be providing expert technical advice to NEITI to facilitate the harmonization and coordination of all disclosure platforms currently adopted by the transparency agency in the discharge of its functions in the oil and gas industry.
“It is our expectation that deploying the OCDS at NEITI would serve as a useful framework to enable other public institutions deploy the OCDS,” NEITI Executive Secretary, Waziri Adio, said in a statement announcing the agreement.
“By linking budget and procurement data to services in the extractive sector, better value for money is achieved,” Mr. Adio added.
NEITI is the second government agency to adopt the OCDS, following the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, who adopted the OCDS in 2016.