Environment Minister Unveils ACReSAL-Funded Electronic Data Centre for EHCON
In a groundbreaking ceremony, the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) unveiled its state-of-the-art Electronic Data Centre, financed by the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project. This innovative hub is poised to revolutionize environmental health management in Nigeria.
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, emphasized the significance of this milestone, stating that it marks a crucial step towards data-driven decision-making in environmental health. “Today’s event is more than a ceremonial milestone, it is a significant step forward in our shared commitment to environmental health, sustainability, and national development,” he said.
The Minister highlighted the importance of environmental health in the broader context of public well-being and sustainable development. “The health of our environment directly impacts the health of our people, the stability of our economy, and the future of our nation,” he noted.
He commended the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria for its efforts in safeguarding environmental standards and ensuring public health safety.
The EHCON Electronic Data Centre boasts several key benefits. According to the Minister, the Centre will provide a centralized platform for gathering, storing, and managing environmental health data, ensuring stakeholders have access to reliable and up-to-date information. This will enable real-time monitoring and early warning systems, policy formulation and research, capacity building and innovation.
Registrar Dr. Mohammed Babs Yakubu highlighted the Centre’s potential to transform environmental health services. “The unveiling of this state-of-the-art Electronic Data Centre is a testament to our collective ambition to drive data-centric and evidence-based decision-making in environmental health,” he said. He revealed that the Centre was conceptualized in 2012, but funding challenges hindered its realization until the ACReSAL project intervened.
Dr. Yakubu explained that the Centre will enable practitioners to apply for registration and licenses online, with rapid processing times. “The solution will provided by this EDMS center. It’s a provision of portal where our practitioners can be able to apply for registration online and within 48 hours, they will be able to get their registration done. In case of license as well, they can be able to apply with the license within 24 hours, they can access license and print,” he said.
The Registrar also hinted at plans to incorporate online training modules and establish an Environmental Management Information System. “We believe that this is the beginning of a revolution, which we want to bring into environmental health. We are looking at the possibility of incorporating into a module training, where someone can sit at the comfort of their home and take his or her training or exams and get a certificate,” he said.
The ACReSAL project’s National Project Coordinator, Abudulhamid Umar, expressed his delight at witnessing the Centre’s launch. “It gladdens our heart at the ACReSAL office to witness yet another milestone in the project implementation. This activity is in line with the ACReSAL project component C that speaks to providing support to institutions which EHCON has been pursuing since 2012,” he said.
Umar emphasized the project’s commitment to strengthening institutions and improving livelihoods. “The ACReSAL project is a federal government project that desires to improve community livelihood and identify with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that are data and people-oriented, that will service our people, the citizenry of this country. Now we are here, the health and safety sector desires the support,” he said.
“Umar appealed to EHCON to effectively manage and sustain this investment, ensuring it achieves its intended purpose.”
The Minister of Environment reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening agency collaboration and supporting platforms like the EHCON Electronic Data Centre. “The Federal Ministry of Environment is committed to strengthening agency collaboration with the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, which will further boost EHCON’s capacity to provide quality services to clients, as well as provide effective and efficient control of its records,” he said.
As Nigeria takes this significant leap in environmental health, the EHCON Electronic Data Centre is poised to drive transformative change, fostering a greener, healthier, and more sustainable future for generations to come.
ACReSAL, greening the environment, saving lives
