To strengthen accountability in government institutions, Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI) has disclosed plans to deploy Artificial Intelligence to strengthen the fight against corruption.
Presenting the newly revamped “Value for Money” with AI-enabled features platform to stakeholders in Abuja, the Executive Director of PLSI Olusegun Elemo said they aim to deploy technology into the fight against corruption to make it more efficient.
He said “petitions on service delivery and public finance management issues which used to take weeks and months for citizens and marginalized communities to submit to anti-corruption agencies for investigation can now be done in less than five minutes using the newly enhanced “Value for Money” platform.”
He maintained that PLSI conveyed a focused group discussion on the impact of and adaptation to emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance accountability in Nigeria.
Participants at the Focused Group Discussion include representatives from federal and state Anti-Corruption Agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), federal and state audit institutions, Public Accounts Committees (PACs), as well as delegates from civil society and media.
Elemo noted that “The upgraded technology platform which was first launched in 2016 is now aimed at effectively democratizing citizens’ participation and involvement in efforts to curb public sector corruption and strengthen accountability at all levels of government in Nigeria.”
“The ‘Value for Money” stands out in effort to allow citizens to track, act and report on audited development projects in their communities to improve efficiency in the use of public resources and delivery of services.”
He highlighted the potential of the Artificial Intelligence to include curbing public sector corruption, enhance accountability and improve service delivery to citizens.
Elemo revealed that since 2016, PLSI have supported more than 300 communities and over 1,000 citizens to actively use audit data to engage anti-corruption agencies with a view to improving delivery of services.
He noted that while the support has always been semi-automated, the newly upgraded technology platform with AI-enabled features has fully automated that citizen – government engagement process thereby effectively democratizing citizens participation in anti-corruption and accountability efforts in Nigeria.
Elemo said “We are aware of weaknesses of artificial intelligence tools, but we are poised to leveraging its strength to support anti-corruption and accountability efforts in Nigeria. This Focused Group Discussion is a vital platform to learn with stakeholders on how this new opportunity will work for all with consideration for ethics, data privacy and protection.”
