An e-Environment System for Socio-economic Sustainability and National Security

Abstract

Though there are adequate institutional frameworks and legal instruments for the protection of the Sub-Saharan African environment, their impact on the development and conservation (protection) of the environment leaves much to be desired. This assertion is substantiated by the reality that inspite of these regulatory frameworks, the environment is largely degraded with negative ramifications for the twin goals of attaining sustainable socio-economic advancement and realization of environmental rights. Both national and regional state of environment (SoE) reports show that degradation is apparent. It is worthy of mention that almost all African countries have ratified and domesticated the various regional and subregional environmental agreement. Efforts to solve the puzzle have revealed that corruption and environmental degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa are closely linked. Financial impropriety in ecological funds management, poorly equipped environmental protection institutions, and inadequate citizens' environmental management awareness campaigns are outcomes of corruption in the public sector. Since corruption thrives in the absence of transparency and accountability, this study proposes a cutting-edge technology-based solution that promotes participatory environmental accountability using an e-Environment system. The web-based multi-tier e-Environment system will empower both citizens and government officials to deliberate online real-time on environmental policies, programmes and projects to be embarked upon. Both parties will equally put forward proposals on the use of tax payers money in the environment sector while monitoring discrepancies between amount budgeted, amount released and actual amount spent. We applied design and software engineering skills to actualize the proposed solution. Using Nigeria as case study, our research methodology comprised literature review, requirements gathering, design of proposed solution using universal modelling language (UML) and development/implementation on the Microsoft SharePoint platform. In view of our determination to evolve a zero-defect software, we applied Cleanroom Software Engineering techniques. The outcome obtained so far has proved that the model supports our expectations. The system is not only practical, but ecologically sound. It is anticipated that the full-scale implementation of such an enterprise e-Environment system will decrease the current tide of corruption in the environment sector, mitigate environmental degradation and by extension, reduce social-economic tensions and guarantee national security.