The Coast Development Authority (CDA) has won a trophy for innovating a unique digital E-projects and Monitoring and Knowledge Management Information System for tracking project implementation from conceptualization, implementation, monitoring and evaluation during the just concluded Africa Public Service Day.
The digital system, according to the CDA Managing Director Dr. Mohammed Keinan was mooted during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to monitor project implementation in far flung insecurity prone areas in Garissa, Tana River and Lamu.
Dr. Keinan was speaking at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) while receiving the trophy for scooping third position in the Innovation Category from the
Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Gender and Senior Citizen Affairs Prof Margaret Kobia said the system has minimized transport costs for CDA staff besides bringing inclusivity, transparency and good governance in project implementation.
“This digital system which was mooted during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 enabled us in CDA to monitor all our projects from our offices by gathering all information concerning the projects on a digital map”, said the MD.
The MD noted that the E-projects Monitoring and Knowledge Management Information System is an adequate repository data for future implementation which also enables the project beneficiaries to appraise the pace and level of implementation and make inputs.
“The system will also reduce costs and carbon emissions during project implementation”, Dr. Keinan asserted.
The MD who was flanked by the CDA Board of Directors Chairman Mr. Philip Charo described the digital app as a game changer which the parastatal will patent and share with other regional development agencies.
CDA, he said, is a state corporation domiciled under the Ministry of East Africa and Regional Development under the State Department of Regional and Northern Corridor Development.
The Authority, Dr. Keinan added, is mandated to provide integrated development planning, coordination and implementation of projects and programmes within the whole of the Coast Region, Southern Garissa County and Exclusive Economic Zone.
“In the process of implementing its projects, the Authority has been facing challenges of insecurity, remote project sites, lack of project data repository and costly monitoring process”, said Dr. Keinan.
To address these challenges, the MD noted, CDA transformed the monitoring of projects from manual to digital by implementing the E-projects Monitoring and Knowledge Information System which has become a game changer.
The system, he added, is web-based with an active digital map that shows project location and status which also acts as a project data repository and is used by project officers and beneficiaries to update project progress.
CDA, Dr. Keinan further said implements projects in the counties of Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Taita-Taveta, Tana River and Lamu including the southern part of Garissa County (Ijara and Fafi) and the Kenya’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and for connected purposes.
He revealed that the digital system establishes a project monitoring and information system for effective and efficient service delivery through transformation of the project monitoring and evaluation process from manual to digital in order to promote inclusivity in service delivery while combating the effect of covid-19 pandemic.
The digital app, the MD added, has an active digital map with project information, location and is accessible over the web hence assisting in project information sharing and dissemination.
The system, the MD noted, has established a repository of CDA projects project appraisal, information dissemination and sharing which supports up-scaling and replication to new project areas besides giving beneficiaries opportunity to monitor the progress of a project being implemented in their area.
“This innovation will promote transparency, provide knowledge base for project information, evidence for project implementation and a platform for information sharing, learning and benchmarking among stakeholders”, the MD said.
In the Innovation category, CDA was competing against other organization in the African Union (AU)
