Colombia: Transparency is possible

By Colnodo BOGOTA, Colombia,

Published on 31 March 2006
Page last updated on 31 May 2016

Can the internet become an effective tool for efficiency and transparency in municipal management? APC member, Colnodo of Colombia is successfully carrying out two programmes aimed at local governments. In this article, APC-member Colnodo tells us about its participation in the Internet Project for Accountability (Proyecto Internet para la Rendición de Cuentas) and the Met@logo Project (Proyecto Met@logo).

261 new portals for Colombian municipalities

As part of the eGovernment project of the Connectivity Agenda (Proyecto Gobierno en Línea Territorial de la Agenda de
Conectividad), 261 Colombian municipalities adopted, between January and March, a piece of software called Internet for the Accountability of the Municipal Mayor.

These municipalities will make the webpage of the mayor’s office alive with information on contracting, budgeting and financing, opening hours, news, information on processes and accountability, and much more.

Mainstreaming this tool has been the responsibility of the Colombian Ministry of Communication’s Connectivity Agenda programme. The tool that supports the websites was donated to the national government by the Transparency for Colombia Corporation (Corporación Transparencia para Colombia) and Colnodo. These organisations developed the software within the framework of the Internet Project for Accountability (Proyecto Internet para la Rendición de Cuentas), with the financial support of USAID and Casals & Associates.

Provided the respective municipalities update their websites, they will be accessible through Colombia’s National Portal.

Met@logo Project in Colombia begins

The objective of the Met@ Local Government project, Met@logo, is to provide a simple tool that allows cities and communities to create and maintain a basic electronic portal at the local government level to benefit small and medium-sized businesses in countries like Colombia, Peru, Chile and Honduras.

With the intent of advancing the technical preparation of the project, Colnodo met with the information systems department members of the municipalities of Buga and Tulua, in the Cauca Valley, in the southwest of Colombia. During these visits, objectives and the scope of Met@logo will be presented.

This project has been created by European Union entities that include the German Cooperation Agency (GTZ). The Transparency for Colombia Corporation is also a member. On a technological level, the Vienna Technological University (UTV), in Austria, is developing the project with a member in each of the participating countries. In the case of Colombia, the local technological partner is Colnodo.

The European Union awards the Met@logo Project

The European Union General Director for the Information Society and Media awarded the “Good Practices in Electronic Governance” mention to the Local Met@ Government project, Met@logo.

The award recognises the work that Met@logo has carried out in Europe and other countries of Latin America, by helping cities and communities in Colombia, Peru, Chile and Honduras create and maintain a basic electronic portal and the local government level.