J48716 Willend EIA ResearchReport V4 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 28
• Meetings with key sector bodies and major
developers to discuss Digital IA’s potential and
to gauge areas of strongest support, identify
concerns, discern priority sectors / potential
partners to work with FMEnv, IA practice and
other stakeholders. The aim being to further
develop momentum in regularising the uptake
of effective digital EIA techniques within the
commissioning and delivery of Nigerian EIAs.
• Exploring opportunities for FMEnv, or other
parties, to seek to work with international
Big Tech firms and Nigeria’s growing digital
technology sector. This could seek to form
collaborative partnerships that seek to support
the integration of digitisation, digital technology
and advances, such as Artificial Intelligence
into the project EIA process, and / or the
construction and operational phase monitoring
of development projects. A trial of such activity
could be linked to the EIA process for the
development of digital economy infrastructure
projects e.g. Data Centres.
• The sharing of professional experience with
digital IA between practitioners across the
Nigerian EIA community could be usefully
explored. This activity could be linked to working
with the Association For Environmental Impact
Assessment Of Nigeria (AEIAN)4 and could also
seek to link with wider international practice
examples.
• Related to the above, but on a more significant
scale would be the organising of an African
Digital IA conference / symposium – potentially
in collaboration with the IAIA. Such an event
would help to put Nigeria’s digital IA ambitions
on the map, share approaches being used
in different parts of IA practice across the
continent, and identify opportunities for
learning, collaboration, and investment.
Meetings with key sector bodies and major developers
to discuss Digital IA’s potential and to gauge areas of
strongest support, identify concerns, discern priority
sectors / potential partners to work with FMEnv, IA
practice and other stakeholders.
4.
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Further details about the Association For Environmental Impact Assessment Of Nigeria can be found on their organisation’s website:
https://aeian.org/
Willend Associates and FothergillTC Ltd – Ambitions, Challenges & Opportunities - Progressing Digital EIA in Nigeria
