OGIP Session LLE2 at Enugu
The group didn’t seem as serious as the name implied! The super cool session facilitator, Kachi Chukwu from Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), shared that open government and institutional partnerships was a way of bridging the gap between the government and the governed by putting measure in place for transparency, accountability and stakeholder participation. Simply put, it is a way for citizens to make their voice count in governance by knowing what government is doing as well as being able to raise concerns without fear or oppression. In the characteristically resilient Nigerian fashion, indigenous Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) had been collaborating to figure out how to get the government to be more accountable especially in a democratic setting. To facilitate the true spirit of openness and cooperation, the Open Alliance Network was birthed in 2014. Its aim was to bring governments and civil society organizations together as true partners as part of the collective action to spur the Nigerian Government to join the global Open Government Partnership (OGP), which Nigeria eventually did in July 2016. Today, Open Alliance has grown to become a coalition of over 150 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) across the 36 states of Nigeria seeking to promote good governance and ensure that the government upholds the principles of OGP. Nigeria signed and ratified the Open Government Partnership (OGP) which triggered several initiatives to enhance its implementation. These include the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO) and Open Treasury Portal (OTP) amongst others. In spite of this progress, there is more to be done to achieve the ideals of OGP. This initial sharing and reflection sessions got participants thinking about how best to address the issues of OGP in a mutually inclusive manner realizing how this affects all aspects of empowering rightsholders, amplifying the issues they face while influencing positive action to enable an inclusive and participatory environment for all citizens. The participants decided to form a community of practice which will help members to learn more about Open Government and Institutional Partnerships including related concepts, understanding the OGP terrain, stakeholders, Open Alliance network and how to support rightsholders and citizens to engage meaningfully in how they are governed. To this end, it was unanimously decided that the first activity for the group would be to schedule learning sessions and develop a learning agenda. The group members are excited at the prospects of further engagements and for this vibrant and forward-thinking team, the ‘august’ entanglement has just begun!Reactions
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Kaseina Dashe
COGNITO
Scribe | Digital Storyteller | Strategic Communication & SBC Specialist | C4D Practitioner | Life Enthusiast!
Posted on Wednesday, March 2, 2022
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