J48716 Willend EIA ResearchReport V4 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 24
The work to develop the Nigerian Digital EIA
Strategy would ideally be led by the FMEnv and
would be developed through three key strands:
a. Undertake a National Review of
Environmental Data – the scale and scope
of which would be determined based on
prospective budget. The review would seek
to identify which Government departments,
agencies and bodies hold environmental
and social data that is likely to be relevant
to the EIA process. This could be limited to
across FMEnv, covering the whole federal
Government, or extend down to state and local
level. The review should seek to understand
what data is held, how frequently it is
gathered, a basic analysis of its quality, and
how it is currently stored / archived. Based on
the review:
○ Existing digital data sets that FMEnv can
highlight to EIA consultants and developers
as acceptable current sources of data for EIA
Reports.
○ Existing digital environmental data sets
would be identified and work to enable
the sharing / access of such data for EIA
purposes could begin.
○ Existing environmental data stored in
non-digital states could be prioritised to
determine which would most benefit EIA in
future funded projects aimed at digitising EIA
relevant data.
○ Identification of critical gaps in Nigerian
environmental data that would significantly
benefit EIA practice and sustainability
performance if they could be resolved.
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b. Engage stakeholders across Nigerian EIA
practice to appraise the potential for digital
approaches + technology to be adopted at
each step of the process. FMEnv’s EIA portal
is a good starting point, but it appears to have
been developed by a core group within the
EA Department. By undertaking a broader
initiative and reflecting across the whole EIA
process – including that led by developers and
their consultants and those aspects related
to project delivery and monitoring – far more
opportunities for digital EIA progress and
partnership will emerge. This review should
also seek to draw in opportunities from digital
systems being deployed in and around EIA
across the globe, to identify what learning
can be brought in to enable more rapid
deployment in Nigeria. Such broad scale
engagement and wider appraisal of digital
transformation in Nigeria’s EIA system is also
likely to generate wider interest – for example
from companies and institutions already
supporting other elements of Nigeria’s digital
economy ambitions, which could help secure
resources, support and funding.
c.
Maintain and Enhance Understanding of
Digital IA Practice. If the EA Department
is to achieve its ambition of maintaining an
understanding of Digital EIA that is aligned
with, and ideally ahead of, developers and
their consultants, then it will need a means
of understanding how technology and digital
approaches are advancing in practice. Further
to this, digitising Nigerian EIA will only be
partially successful if it is an initiative that is
only being progressed by the Government. The
private sector, university sector and others
investing in Nigeria’s economy and economic
development have a role to play. The third
element of the strategy therefore involves
establishing engagement and coordination
with wider parties with a interest in Nigerian
EIA to help drive interest and investment in the
application of digital approaches in practice.
Willend Associates and FothergillTC Ltd – Ambitions, Challenges & Opportunities - Progressing Digital EIA in Nigeria
