By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos – Accountability Lab Nigeria has developed a user-friendly AI-integrated platform to automatically extract information from scanned procurement data uploaded to the platform in Plateau, Edo, and Ekiti States.

The information would be transformed into structured data with minimal effort as the platform features an interactive chat function, allowing users to ask questions and access valuable information in real-time.

Blessing Anolaba, the Accountability Lab Nigeria’s Storytelling Development Officer, in a statement obtained by Vanguard in Jos, noted that the platform is designed with simplicity in mind. Hence, it does not require any technical expertise, making it accessible even to grassroots communities.

She said, “In Nigeria, limited access to public procurement data remains a major challenge, allowing inefficiencies and misuse of resources to go unchecked. If procurement data is inaccessible, how can the public ensure funds are used responsibly by the government and contractors?

“According to data by the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), accessing procurement information through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests often proves challenging, with over 91.84% of such requests receiving responses after 14 days or not responding, reflecting a significant lack of transparency in public procurement processes.

“Unpublished procurement information leaves citizens in the dark about how decisions are made and deprives them of the chance to track the progress of projects. A 2024 report by the Open Contracting Partnership highlights that poor data quality in public procurement impedes data-driven decision-making. Challenges such as the lack of unique identifiers, duplicated records, inconsistencies in contract dates, and incomplete data fields hinder citizens’ ability to monitor procurement processes effectively.”

She added, “This persistent lack of accountability in public procurement remains a critical challenge despite the adoption of frameworks such as the Public Procurement Act 2007 and efforts like the World Bank’s State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability (SFTAS) program, inefficiencies, mismanagement, and fraud persist.

“These systemic issues also hinder competitive and fair business practices, limit oversight, and obstruct the government’s ability to deliver an improved healthcare supply chain. As part of our strategic approach to making public procurement data easily accessible, up-to-date, and understandable, we recently developed a user-friendly AI-integrated platform in Edo, Ekiti, and Plateau States.

“A community leader who wants to understand information about the renovation of a public healthcare facility in his community can simply type a question and receive clear, easy-to-understand responses without needing to navigate complex systems. The chat function ensures that anyone, regardless of their technical skills, can engage with public procurement data effortlessly.

“The automation not only speeds up the publishing process, but it also makes sure that accurate procurement information is always available. This improves efficiency, lowers the cost of governance in public procurement processes, and makes administration easier. The automation’s natural language capabilities have made it easier to access relevant procurement data.”

She further explained that the platform also provides tools for understanding public procurement processes and uses the red flag methodology to detect potential irregularities, supporting citizens, journalists, and civil society organizations in actively engaging in governance processes, ensuring procurement officers and contractors uphold integrity, fair procurement practices, and responsible business conduct.