diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/var/lib/sys/guardians.txt b/apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/guardians.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from apps/cic-ussd/var/lib/sys/guardians.txt
rename to apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/guardians.txt
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/var/lib/sys/helpers.csv b/apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/helpers.csv
similarity index 100%
rename from apps/cic-ussd/var/lib/sys/helpers.csv
rename to apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/helpers.csv
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/var/lib/sys/languages.json b/apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/languages.json
similarity index 100%
rename from apps/cic-ussd/var/lib/sys/languages.json
rename to apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/languages.json
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/var/lib/sys/sms.csv b/apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/sms.csv
similarity index 100%
rename from apps/cic-ussd/var/lib/sys/sms.csv
rename to apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/sms.csv
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/var/lib/sys/ussd.csv b/apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/ussd.csv
similarity index 100%
rename from apps/cic-ussd/var/lib/sys/ussd.csv
rename to apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/ussd.csv
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/db/ussd_menu.json b/apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/ussd_menu.json
similarity index 100%
rename from apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/db/ussd_menu.json
rename to apps/cic-ussd/cic_ussd/data/sys/ussd_menu.json
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/config/app.ini b/apps/cic-ussd/config/app.ini
index ebd5613..0f31e25 100644
--- a/apps/cic-ussd/config/app.ini
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/config/app.ini
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@ port =
 ssl =
 
 [system]
-guardians_file = var/lib/sys/guardians.txt
+guardians_file = cic_ussd/data/sys/guardians.txt
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/app.ini b/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/app.ini
index e6f8218..24d6a21 100644
--- a/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/app.ini
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/app.ini
@@ -8,4 +8,4 @@ states=states/
 transitions=transitions/
 
 [system]
-guardians_file = var/lib/sys/guardians.txt
+guardians_file = cic_ussd/data/sys/guardians.txt
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/translations.ini b/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/translations.ini
index 9676f43..414e306 100644
--- a/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/translations.ini
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/translations.ini
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 [locale]
 fallback=sw
-path=
-file_builders=var/lib/sys/
+path=cic_ussd/data/locale/
+file_builders=cic_ussd/data/sys/
 
 [schema]
 file_path = data/schema
 
 [languages]
-file = var/lib/sys/languages.json
+file = cic_ussd/data/sys/languages.json
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/ussd.ini b/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/ussd.ini
index cb8ba9e..47ad3bc 100644
--- a/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/ussd.ini
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/config/test/ussd.ini
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 [ussd]
-menu_file=cic_ussd/db/ussd_menu.json
+menu_file=cic_ussd/data/sys/ussd_menu.json
 service_code=*483*46#,*483*061#,*384*96#
 user =
 pass =
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/config/translations.ini b/apps/cic-ussd/config/translations.ini
index 5cf2ba1..829a7ea 100644
--- a/apps/cic-ussd/config/translations.ini
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/config/translations.ini
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 [locale]
 fallback=sw
-path=var/lib/locale/
-file_builders=var/lib/sys/
+path=cic_ussd/data/locale/
+file_builders=cic_ussd/data/sys/
 
 [schema]
 file_path = /usr/local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/cic_translations/data/schema
 
 [languages]
-file = var/lib/sys/languages.json
+file = cic_ussd/data/sys/languages.json
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/config/ussd.ini b/apps/cic-ussd/config/ussd.ini
index d996d16..47ad3bc 100644
--- a/apps/cic-ussd/config/ussd.ini
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/config/ussd.ini
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 [ussd]
-menu_file=data/ussd_menu.json
+menu_file=cic_ussd/data/sys/ussd_menu.json
 service_code=*483*46#,*483*061#,*384*96#
 user =
 pass =
diff --git a/apps/cic-ussd/docker/Dockerfile b/apps/cic-ussd/docker/Dockerfile
index 634c429..0556bf1 100644
--- a/apps/cic-ussd/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/apps/cic-ussd/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -3,12 +3,10 @@ ARG DOCKER_REGISTRY="registry.gitlab.com/grassrootseconomics"
 FROM $DOCKER_REGISTRY/cic-base-images:python-3.8.6-dev-e8eb2ee2
 
 RUN apt-get install -y redis-server
+
 # create secrets directory
 RUN mkdir -vp pgp/keys
 
-# create application directory
-RUN mkdir -vp cic-ussd
-RUN mkdir -vp data
 
 ARG EXTRA_PIP_INDEX_URL=https://pip.grassrootseconomics.net
 ARG EXTRA_PIP_ARGS=""
@@ -25,7 +23,8 @@ RUN --mount=type=cache,mode=0755,target=/root/.cache/pip \
 COPY . .
 RUN python setup.py install
 
-COPY cic_ussd/db/ussd_menu.json data/
+# create local files directory
+RUN mkdir -vp cic_ussd/data/locale
 
 COPY docker/*.sh ./
 RUN chmod +x /root/*.sh