Infrastructure transparency is a key element in ensuring that infrastructure projects are accountable, efficient, and effective. It involves making information about the planning, financing, construction, and operation of these projects publicly available and accessible. In this blog post, we will explore 12 lessons that can help to advance infrastructure transparency initiatives. Collaboration and partnership are essential for advancing infrastructure transparency. Working with a range of stakeholders, including governments, civil society organizations, the private sector, and international organizations, can help to …
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Introduction Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) is a cloud storage platform that allows you to store and access data from anywhere on the internet. Tableau is a powerful data visualisation tool that will enable you to analyse and explore data in an interactive and visually appealing way. Connecting Tableau to an S3 bucket will allow you to quickly access and analyse large amounts of data stored in the cloud. In this blog post, we will walk through the steps of connecting Tableau to …
Do you need help explaining the concept of beneficial ownership in a way that even a kid can understand? Then, don’t look any further! In this informative and fun post, I will summarise this vital topic so that even a child can grasp it. I’ve got you covered on everything from toy boxes to money laundering. So please continue reading to learn more about hidden company owners and why it matters. What is Beneficial Ownership? Beneficial ownership is a term …
The importance of Access to Information (ATI) cannot be overstated, especially when it comes to promoting sustainable procurement and good governance in African countries. By providing citizens with the ability to request and access government-held information, ATI is like shining a light into the dark corners of the public procurement process, exposing potential wrongdoing and fostering transparency and accountability. This, in turn, can lead to more efficient and effective procurement and better outcomes for both governments and the communities they …
Key Insights On Monday, August 8, 2022, the 183-megawatt Isimba Hydropower Plant in the Kayunga district was shut down. Nankabirwa, Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, told MPs that the facility needed to be fixed because of floods. The dam was finished in 2019, and it was initially thought it would cost $350 million. However, it ended up costing $567.7 million. China Water Company was the firm contracted to build the Power Station. To increase transparency in …
Good and effective governance requires interaction between different groups, political accountability, checks and balances in operations, decentralization, and participation at the local level. Effective and successful governance is founded on three principles: Public procurement is vital to reforming governance because it affects all three pillars. Procurement processes can thus be seen as fostering good governance and reforming governance systems. What exactly is electronic government procurement (e-GP)? In its broadest sense, e-GP means using electronic technology to manage any or all …
In today’s digital world, transparency is key. Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard (OC4IDS) aims to bring transparency in infrastructure investment across the globe and help countries meet their United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard is an open-source data standard that can be applied to all types of infrastructure projects and hold governments accountable by helping them show what they have invested in and how it has been spent. OC4IDS also allows citizens to see where the money …
Build an API in 2 minutes or less APIs are a convenient approach to getting or manipulating data contained in a remote database programmatically. They allow two applications to communicate with one another. If I had to compare an API to a physical entity, it would be a waiter in a restaurant. The waiter takes your order (i.e., request), goes to the kitchen (i.e., API server), and brings you back your food (i.e., response). There are APIs, from retrieving news …
Money laundering is wreaking havoc on African economies. Money laundering is the process of disguising the source, ownership, or destination of money earned illegally or dishonestly by concealing it within a legal business contract. When dishonest people obtain money from illegal sources, they attempt to conceal the source of the funds in order to spend it freely. The amount of illegal money leaving Africa is estimated to be much greater than Africa’s annual ODA (ODA). This undermines development and poverty …
To be an effective manager, you must cultivate skills ranging from recognising the hidden potential to being more understanding of your employees. Here are four key traits of successful managers: Take ownership of all situations. Great managers take full responsibility for anything that happens. They never say someone else is to blame. But what is it to take responsibility? It has to do with taking the initiative. We take responsibility when we don’t think doing something is someone else’s job. …
I learned a lot during my eight years as a programmer. I’m grateful for the experience and for the things I learned. Here are some of the most important things I learned: 1. How to think like a computer This may sound obvious, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Once you learn to think like a computer, it becomes much easier to understand how they work and how to program them. 2. How to break down problems into …
.htaccess is a file used on web servers running the Apache HTTP Server to control how the server handles requests for files and directories. It can be used to password-protect directories, redirect traffic, and more. Here are five .htaccess redirects that every developer should know: Redirecting all traffic to https:// If you want to redirect all traffic from http:// to https://, you can add the following code to your .htaccess file: Redirecting www to non-www If you want to redirect traffic from www.example.com to …
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