3.2 | Barriers to furthering digital EIA progressWhile this snapshot study was focussed onopportunities for greater application of digitalapproaches and technology in ESIA, there is also aneed to recognise barrier to progress. A number ofbarriers have been identified across the interviewsand wider research conducted and these areoutlined below:- Commitment to Digitisation. There is clearleadership in the EA Department of FMEnvto seek to improve the effectiveness of theNigerian EIA system through greater applicationof digital approaches. This leadership andambition, however, does not, yet, appear to befully supported in the way the department isfunded and its opportunities to recruit staff,which remain oriented to its current ways ofworking. Further to this, there is a need for fargreater collaboration and investment in digitisedenvironmental and socially related data setsacross Government at all levels – Federal toLocal. Such progress will be gradual, but itwill take far more time to develop and deploywithout clear commitment and leadership toan over-arching strategy to protecting andenhancing Nigeria’s environment throughdigital transformation. The Nigerian EIAsystem will continue to provide leadershipin this area, but could become a far greatercatalyst of wider scale progress with strongGovernment commitment in line with investmentin digitisation across other areas of the Federalsystem – economic growth, national identityschemes, etc.within the scope of its EIA system. Significantprogress will need to be made in this area ifthe full potential benefit of digital EIA is to bemanifest over the medium-term. In relation toEIA, prioritising specific data sources – perhapsby selecting specific environmental topics tofocus on e.g. ecology, air quality, etc – to beginto identify existing data and organise whereand how it could be digitised would be a usefulstarting point.- Capacity challenges – Skills and Systems.The FMEnv Environmental AssessmentDepartment interviews highlighted this areaas their most significant barrier to progress. Alack of previous need for ICT and GIS skills andexperience within the Government’s EIA systemmeans that recruitment rules and staff positionsrelated to its delivery are oriented to peoplewith environmental and science backgrounds,rather than the ICT skills needed to establishand advance the uptake of digital systems. Assuch, the EA Department must seek to upskillits environmental officers to understand notjust how to use GIS software and other digitalsystems, but also how to design, commission,program, debug and maintain such systems.This approach will inevitably lead to slowerprogress. It also carries wider risks as there willbe limits on the number of staff that can be ICTtrained – alongside continuing to meet wider EIAcapacity enhancement needs across its officers– meaning the loss of an upskilled staff membercould significantly hamper the Department’sprogress in its digitisation ambitions.- Digital Environmental and Community relatedData. Like many nations Nigeria has manyuncoordinated systems that continue to gatherdata in paper based systems or on localisedcomputer stored records. This forms a barrier tothe deployment of digital systems, which oftendrive efficiency and effectiveness improvementsthrough enhancing to use of data by making itwidely available for use and analysis. Nigeriacurrently lacks effective digitised environmentaldata across the board of topics that are20Willend Associates and FothergillTC Ltd – Ambitions, Challenges & Opportunities - Progressing Digital EIA in Nigeria
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