Kaduna Govt, CoST Urge Media to Drive Infrastructure Transparency

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

Key stakeholders in Kaduna State have called on the media to play a leading role in promoting transparency, accountability, and value-for-money outcomes in public infrastructure delivery. 

This was the focus of a media parley organized by the Kaduna State Public Procurement Authority (KADPPA), in collaboration with the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST).

Representing the Commissioner of the Planning and Budget Commission, Bashir Ladan, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, described the parley as a strategic platform to strengthen collaboration between the government, civil society, private sector, and the media. 

“The media is not only vital in amplifying reforms but also in holding government accountable and sustaining transparency,” Ladan said.

He announced the launch of a state-of-the-art Infrastructure and Procurement Data Portal, the first of its kind in Nigeria, equipped with Artificial Intelligence for efficient data access, climate-responsive data points, and accessibility features for people with disabilities. 

“This workshop will build the capacity of journalists to engage the portal effectively, ensuring citizens are informed and involved in tracking infrastructure projects,” he added.

Engr. Suleiman Abba, Director at KADPPA, while outlining the workshop’s objectives, said “We have developed a portal, similar to the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS), but tailored for water and infrastructure-related projects. 

“Today’s session will train journalists on accessing procurement data and promoting standard reporting practices for accurate and consistent communication to the public.”

Tara Jeremiah Wyah, CoST Manager, highlighted Kaduna’s pioneering role as the first subnational government in Nigeria to join CoST. 

“CoST works with government, the private sector, and civil society to ensure infrastructure investments deliver better value and improved services,” Wyah said. 

He pointed out that Kaduna’s adoption of the Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard (OC4IDS) and Infrastructure Transparency Index (ITI) is raising the bar for openness in project monitoring.

“Kaduna is setting a benchmark with proactive disclosure of 67 data points across all project and contract stages, supported by analytical dashboards and sustainable procurement strategies,” Wyah added.

The event concluded with a call for continued collaboration with the media to ensure that public infrastructure investments meet global standards and deliver real impact for citizens.