The Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA) has provided five desktop computers worth over US$ 8, 000 to five ministries and agencies of the Liberian Government to enhance the collection of environmental data.
The computers were presented to representatives of the ministries of Mines and Energy, Agriculture, Transports, Forestry Development Agency (FDA), National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority by EPA Executive Director Dr. Nathaniel T. Blama, Sr. at a brief ceremony held at the agency’s 4th Street office on Thursday, January 9, 2020.
A laptop computer was also presented to the IT department at the EPA.
The items were procured under the Cross-Cutting Capacity Development (CCCD) Project, which seeks to enable Liberia make better decisions to meet and sustain global environmental obligations.
The project also seeks to strengthen a targeted set of national capacities, deliver and sustain global environmental outcomes within the framework of sustainable development priorities.
The donation of the computers follows the construction of the Environmental Knowledge Management System (EKMS), a platform intended to hold all environmental data and information and the subsequence training of information technology specialists from line government ministries and agencies.
The Environmental Knowledge Management System (EKMS), which is yet to be launched, is a multi-year, cross-sector engagement that supports collaboration among government staff, research centers, think tanks, practitioners, and private firms in tackling global environmental challenges.
Executive Director, Dr. Blama said the EKMS seeks to enhance access to environmental information and disclosed that information on climate change and biodiversity will be found on the platform when it becomes fully functional.
He explained that the EPA along cannot solely manage the environment and highlighted the collective involvement of other sectors, which capacities the EPA has resolved to build through the provision of the computers.
Dr. Blama indicated that the donation of the IT equipment to the five government institution would augment the gathering of environmental information that will feed into the EKMS.
According to him, the donation was necessary because the EPA believes that the effective management of the platform is not possible without the strengthening of the ministries and agencies’ capacities.
“When they are collecting and reporting information it will go into the system and all of us can feed on the information provided,” he said.
CCCD Project Manager, Aaron Wesseh assured that other ministries and agencies imbedded in the project will also benefit from the computer donation.William T. Thompson, assistant minister at the Ministry of Mines and Energy lauded the EPA for the donation of the computers and on behalf of his colleagues assured that they would be used for the intended purpose.
The computers are loaded with the necessary softwares and internet card to enable users use them with ease.
