FG launches 2 transparency dashboards to monitor COVID-19 expenses, responses

Dashboards

By Abujah Racheal

Abuja – The Federal Government on Thursday formally launched two transparent dashboards to monitor the nation’s COVID-19 expenses and other responses.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the launch was done during the 61st joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, in Abuja.

Mr Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman, PTF on COVID-19, said at the launching that both dashboards corroborated the task force focus on a data-driven response.

Mustapha said that they had been consistently maintained from the onset.

According to him, the first is the Incidence and Response Tracker Dashboard developed by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).

He said: “The second is the COVID-19 Resource Tracking Dashboard developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

“Similarly, transparency, governance, and accountability are core values of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

“Since the inception of the Task Force, we have been committed to ensuring that Nigeria’s COVID-19 response reflects these values, especially in the face of all the scrutiny, mis and dis-information on the PTF’s activities.

“Since international best practices remain our hallmark, the PTF has been tracking donations and technical assistance received from individuals, groups, and various national and international organisations.

“These donations, alongside the disbursements across the federation, have been documented.

“They are now open for everyone to see through the activation of these dashboards, which are now accessible on the PTF website www.statehouse.gov.ng/covid19/.”

Mustapha said that the dashboards were transparent living and very interactive portals for all the task force resource mobilisation activities, donations, needs, and disbursements.

He assured Nigerians that PTF would continue to collaborate with the private sector in creating models.

Mustapha said it would ensure that all PTF activities were easily accessible by the public in line with the Freedom of Information Act.

He said, “The PTF will ensure transparency of the coordinated efforts and interventions of government and other partners on the fight to contain the pandemic in Nigeria.”

Earlier, in a virtual address, the Chairman of NESG, Mr Asue Ighodalo, said that the group and the private sector were making history with the launch of the COVID-19 Incidence and Response Tracker and Dashboards.

According to him, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, NESG and its private sector partners swung into action by providing both financial and technical support to the governments at all levels.

He said this was to help control the spread and cushion the economic implications of the virus.

“The NESG, in collaboration with the Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG), designed the COVID-19 Incidence and Response Tracker and Dashboard.

“The Dashboard primarily reveals the resource requirements across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

“This is to enable respective subnational governments, alongside the Federal Government and donors, to identify needs and  gaps that exist in three critical priority areas, testing; treatment and isolation; and contact tracing and tracking,” Igbodalo said.

Also, Mrs Ofovwe Aig-Imokhuede of the Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG), expressed pleasure in the partnership with the NESG and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) toward the development of the Nigeria COVID-19 Incidence and Response Tracker Dashboard.

According to her, this landmark initiative is a demonstration of what the Nigerian public sector, in partnership with the private sector, is capable of achieving.

Aig-Imokhuede said that the COVID-19 pandemic had compelled governments around the world to implement unprecedented response measures to protect lives and forestall economic collapse.

She said: “Nigeria faces similar challenges, which are made worse by the poor state of our public healthcare system and limited financial resources.

“Here in Nigeria, it is important that we review existing systems and take the opportunity to push forward for change, so that we are more resilient better prepared to handle this crisis -and others that may come in future.

“The launch of the dashboards today (Thursday) marks a significant milestone in our country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Beyond improving the transparency, accountability and governance of resources sourced from public, private and development sectors, the Predictive Analytic Model embedded in the Platform will allow the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, and the NCDC to predict and project the rate of infections, deaths and consequent resource requirements.” (NAN)

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