Order Paper wins innovation contest

Order Paper, a Nigerian online platform, emerged one of the winners at the inaugural edition of Chemonics technology for development contest (Tech4Dev).

ConsTrack, a mobile application (mobile app), designed to engender citizens’ participation and accountability for constituency projects across Nigeria, beat 37 other entries in the “new ideas” category of the competition.

Chemonics, a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) implementing partner, said the judging criteria bordered on “innovativeness of idea, replicability or scalability, and viability” of the technology under consideration.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony in Washington DC, Susanna Mudge, president and chief executive officer of Chemonics, praised the ConsTrack mobile app.

Mudge expressed satisfaction with the team led by Charles Abani, the chief of party in Nigeria.

In his acceptance speech, Abani said: “OrderPaper’s work on ConsTtrack will ensure that citizens’ voices are amplified as they engage their legislative representatives in budget tracking and constituency monitoring.

“This is what the SACE project is all about; empowering citizens to hold government accountable.”

Oke Epia, executive director of OrderPaper, described the award as a testimony to the hard work and commitment their company had put in, to effectively monitor legislative activities using technology.

“Our organisation immensely appreciates the confidence and support from USAID in implementing ConsTrack which will significantly impact the policy environment around the execution of constituency projects by legislators in Nigeria,” he said.

OrderPaper is a multi-platform and technology driven media organisation dedicated to reporting, tracking and archiving activities of the Nigerian legislature as an arm of government for the digital age.