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By Angela Atabo
PROMAD Foundation has unveiled dual AI-powered civic technology solutions designed to revolutionise participatory governance, enhance data-driven governance, transparency, and accountability.
The platforms, ”Follow the Project and Isunawa AI tools”, allow citizens to actively participate in budgeting, track public projects, and engage in decision-making among others.
Mr Daisi Omokungbe, Executive Director of PROMAD, disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday at a High-Level Youth, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Media Roundtable on Youth, Technology and Development in Nigeria.
The event themed “Bridging the Gap: Leveraging Technology for Citizens’ Participation and Development”, was implemented under the Strengthening Participation, Accountability and Transparency in States (SPATS) programme supported by the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF).
Omokungbe said the dual-platforms would empower citizens, enhance transparency, and deepen democratic participation by ensuring that governance processes were both data-driven and people-centered.
“Although there are ongoing work around this direction at the national level, but there are scanty work at the subnational. So, we designed Follow the Project to bridge the gap in project monitoring at state and local levels.
“We started in 2019 at the subnational, tracking budget allocation awards to project implementation, quality, content, location and analysing all the data.
“This is to tell whether a project is abandoned, completed, delayed and whether money were released or nothing was done.”
Omokungbe explained that the second platform, Isunawa AI was derived from a Yoruba phrase meaning “Our Budget,” the platform leverages artificial intelligence to collect community needs and generate data that can inform government spending decisions.
“It is built to collect needs assessment as well as data collection of communities to inform budgeting.Through a simple AI-powered interface, users can register and submit information about the needs of their communities.
“This data is then analysed to identify trends across local governments and states, providing insights that enable authorities to design budgets that reflect actual citizen priorities,” he said
Omokungbe said in addition to data collection, the platform featured an interactive tool known as “Budget AI” which allows citizens to ask questions about public budgets, projects, and governance, thereby improving access to information and promoting transparency.
According to him, the goal is to institutionalise participatory budgeting in at least five to ten states between 2026 and 2030, ensuring that governance becomes more inclusive and responsive.
He said the platforms were created to bridge inclusion gap and enable youths play a part in governance, adding that citizens could access the platforms at https://followtheprojects.org and https://followtheprojects.org/isunawa.
“Civic technology is not just about apps or platforms.It is about redistributing power, enhancing transparency, strengthening accountability, and enabling inclusive, data-driven governance.
He said that in addition to the platforms, PROMAD announced a mini-grant initiative targeting six individuals and six organisations within the youth ecosystem of the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) in the North central region.
“The initiative aimed to support innovative civic solutions and strengthen youth-led engagement in governance.
“Stakeholders from the Federal Government, media and civil society organisations commended PROMAD Foundation for establishing Follow the Project and Isunawa AI, describing them as timely tools to boost youth participation, transparency and inclusive governance.”
Mr Abdulhalim Shehu, a representative of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), a subsidiary of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), highlighted ongoing federal efforts to support youth-driven innovation and integrate young people into national development processes.
Shehu pointed to the implementation of the Nigerian Startup Act as a key intervention, noting that the law provides a framework for young innovators to register via the Nigerian Startup Portal and access incentives designed to help their ventures grow.
Also speaking, Haruna Godiya, Programmes and Policy Coordinator of LEAP Africa, emphasised the need for structured collaboration between government and young people to unlock their full potential and contribute to national develop.
Godiya called for the creation of accessible channels within government institutions to enable young innovators to engage directly with policymakers for guidance, opportunity and platforms to be heard.
Amina Miango, Programme Manager for the Media in National Elections at Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), called for youth involvement in decision-making or policy development.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Deji Abdulwahab
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