Social cohesion
Citizens survey via SMS
In one of Togo's largest cities, citizens provide their views about current city planning projects via text message. Whether in regard to waste disposal or restoring marketplaces, mobile phones are facilitating civic participation.
The author
Morou Aïchatou Tènè is a community worker in Togo and welcomes the possibility of co-determination in her home town. Almut Steinecke tells her story.
“In my home city of Sokodé, one of the largest cities in Togo, citizens can influence urban planning with their mobile phones. Using what is known as a citizen feedback loop mechanism, we can participate in municipal decision making for measures that will improve the infrastructure of Sokodé and other cities. KfW is supporting these measures with a total of EUR 5 million.
Citizens receive the surveys in the form of text messages and we send our answers back to the city in the same way — free of charge and anonymously. Our telephone numbers are automatically anonymised by the IT system, so they are not connected to the answers in the database. The results are then discussed on local radio and at city council meetings.
I participated in three surveys right away: one survey was about how waste disposal in the city could be improved; the majority voted for setting up waste collection points. Another survey was about how we should deal with the cattle that freely roam our streets. The animals have been known to cause severe traffic accidents. The third survey was about our marketplaces in Sokodé. The survey asked about what the city should take into account during the planned refurbishment of two large marketplaces.
SOURCE
This article was published in the CHANCEN spring/summer edition 2017 “Success in the digital world”.
To German editionI stressed that it would be important for each market to have a separate medical facility and a kindergarten where market vendors' children can play and be looked after. The surveys give me the opportunity to actively participate in my city's development — that is a good feeling.“
Published on KfW Stories: Thursday, 16 November 2017
The described project contributes to the following United Nationsʼ Sustainable Development Goals
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Non-existent or dilapidated infrastructure hinders economic efficiency and thus engenders poverty. When building infrastructure, the focus should be on sustainability, for example, by promoting environmentally-friendly means of transport. Factories and industrial facilities should also ensure that production is in line with ecological aspects to avoid unnecessary environmental pollution.
All United Nations member states adopted the 2030 Agenda in 2015. At its heart is a list of 17 goals for sustainable development, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our world should become a place where people are able to live in peace with each other in ways that are ecologically compatible, socially just, and economically effective.
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