J48716 Willend EIA ResearchReport V4 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 27
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3:4 | Opportunities to Support the Growth of
Digital Approaches in Nigerian EIA Practice
The research has identified the following
opportunities that could be undertaken as next
step actions in order to help the Nigerian EIA
system and professional practice in advancing
the uptake of further digital technology and
approaches. The actions listed does not seek
to be comprehensive and undoubtedly other
opportunities will continue to arise in future that
could be linked to those listed below. Equally,
the supporting opportunities listed could be
progressed as separate individual initiatives, or
combined together to form a wider strategy to
progress digital EIA in Nigeria, but the latter would
require a leadership structure, and would be
more likely to gain the input of other parties with
this leadership including clear input (or at least
support) from FMEnv.
Opportunities to take action to help support the
continued expansion of digital EIA in Nigeria include:
• Awareness raising through providing examples
of existing practice or undertaking specific
demonstrator projects to showcase what digital
IA can bring. Such examples and activities could
be used to show how a developer activities
related to EIA can be improved both in terms of
effectiveness of the assessment and efficiency
of the process. Such activity would need to be
carefully planned and recognise that digital
tools are not a silver bullet, thus each project
would need to be designed to justify the value
the digital technology / approach brings to the
process. Demonstrator projects could include:
○ Exploring the uptake of digital approaches
within Nigeria, ranging from the benefits
that drone usage has brought to initial
examples of digital IA approaches and digital
Environmental Statement.
○ Exploring the uptake of ‘next step’ digital
approaches and technologies that are being
used in IA elsewhere in the world, but are not
yet in use / commonly used in Nigeria. This
could initially include a review of examples of
digital IA progress from international practice,
to identify wider approaches that are being
delivered, have real world relevance, and
appear suitable for trial deployment in Nigeria
EIA practice. An example of this would appear
to be the application of remote cameras and
monitoring devices to identify wildlife species
/ take air quality samples over a longer period
than is feasible with specialist staff.
Recognise that digital tools are not a silver bullet, thus each
project would need to be designed to justify the value the
digital technology / approach brings to the process.
Willend Associates and FothergillTC Ltd – Ambitions, Challenges & Opportunities - Progressing Digital EIA in Nigeria
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