Preamble
The 3-day meeting held from 6th-8th November in Adamawa State, was convened to promote state-level exchange and the sharing of practical experiences in implementing the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and Community Development Planning (CDP). The goal was to strengthen governance through transparency, accountability, and meaningful citizen engagement.
Objectives
Coordinated by Oxfam, the meeting centered on achieving the following:
- To understand the practical methodology of the OGP Operations, with a focus on the co-creation approach to citizens engagements.
- To interact with both state and non-state actors with a view to having a clearer understanding of how government and citizens are interacting on issues around social protection and early warning systems.
- To interact with fellow citizens driving the community development plan strategies with selected communities in the state, and
- To understand all forms of sector reforms going on in these states and how the post-PROSELL state (Taraba) can benefit from its structural processes.
The meeting had in attendance participants from Adamawa State Planning Commissions, Taraba State ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Taraba State bureau for Local Government, Tradition and Chieftaincy Affairs, Kaduna State Planning & Budget Commission, and Kaduna State Ministry for Local Government Affairs, representatives from the National OGP Secretariat, Oxfam, civil society leaders, and various stakeholders including the media.
Resolutions
After extensive discussions and field visits, the meeting resolved as follows:
- Commend the Adamawa State government for raising the bar with the innovative, comprehensive and technology-driven Eyes and Ears hub enabling effective monitoring and evaluation as well as an effective citizens’ feedback mechanism.
- Commend the Taraba State government for being reform-minded by signing into the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and appeal to the Executive Governor to accelerate the signing of the reviewed State Action Plan (SAP 2024 - 2026) and inaugurate the State Steering Committee.
- Commend the Kaduna State government for sustaining the gains of OGP reforms and appeal for the strengthening of the Eyes and Ears projects and Community Development Charter (CDC).
- Call on the government of Taraba State to strengthen the implementation of the laws by appointing CSOs in the board of bureau for public procurement and Taraba state fiscal responsibility commission for more effective citizens’ participation.
- Call on the government of Adamawa and Taraba to be more responsive and encourage citizens and civic groups-led reform initiatives and feedback on project execution.
- Call on Taraba State government to adopt and adapt digital platforms for real-time project monitoring and information dissemination to increase transparency and enhance accountability towards building public trust in governance.
- Call on the civil society groups and actors to embrace constructive dialogue and evidence-based approaches in engaging with States’ governments.
- Call on development partners to support the participating States to conduct political economy analysis (PEA) for more effective engagement, informed and proactive actions, and delivery of OGP commitments.
- There is a need to replicate the successful Open Government Partnership (OGP), Community Development Charter (CDC) and Community Development Planning (CDP) models demonstrated in states like Kaduna and Adamawa in Taraba State.
- Call on communities to promote a culture of taking self-help initiatives for accelerated and sustainable community development to reduce over-dependence on government.
- There is a need to establish mechanisms for continuous knowledge-sharing and exchange visits among states to learn from each other's experiences and challenges in implementing OGP and CDP/CDC initiatives.
Signed by
Taraba State
Adamawa State
Kaduna State
Oxfam