By Nkechi Eze
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) are teaming up to leverage satellite technology for project monitoring and asset tracking. This collaboration aims to harness the capabilities of NASRDA’s satellite technology to enhance the EFCC’s efforts in tracking and monitoring projects and assets, ultimately promoting transparency and accountability.
This proposal was made in Abuja on Friday, January 17, 2025 when the Director General/ Chief Executive Officer of NASRDA, Dr. Mathew Olumide Adepoju paid a courtesy visit to the Commission`s headquarters.
Adepoju discussed various technological innovations his agency can provide to support the Commission’s operations. These innovations focus on enhancing project monitoring, tracking, data collection, capacity building, and knowledge sharing.
According to Adepoju, Nigeria has invested heavily in space development, and harnessing satellite technology can significantly enhance the operational efficiency of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). By leveraging digital applications of satellite technology, the EFCC can streamline its operations, improve data collection, and boost its overall effectiveness in combating financial crimes.
“We believe that our services can be very helpful because we operate the indigenous satellite imagery which can be used for deployment of resources in geospatial tracking, monitoring and collection of data. We can provide applications and tracking devices to show the location of assets with its movement, including the site where a particular contract is awarded. This will help in promoting transparency in public sector projects. We believe that the Commission can benefit even more from our space technology” he said
He further requested the Commission to deploy its officials to NASRDA to educate its officials on economic and financial crimes in their systems and processes.
Responding, the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Ola Olukoyede appreciated the visit, stating that no country can be truly developed without spatial recognition, stressing that the Commission was very keen on prevention.
“We are going to open the channel of collaboration so that we can work more, especially now that every area of our lives is moving towards technology. We are very keen on prevention that is why you must be able to move ahead and stop money from being stolen. This is the work we do, we are not going to shy away from those areas. So let’s see if we can come up with an MOU that will help us move forward in the interest of the entire nation” he said.
He proposed more functional modalities of collaboration between the two agencies to boost efficiency and value-creation. “ We will set up a Steering Committee to look into possible areas of working together”, he said.
