By Nkechi Ugwu
The Open Government Partnership Nigeria convened its Third National Action Plan – Thematic Working Group meeting on May 14, 2024, at Bolton White Hotel, Area 11, Garki, Abuja.The meeting fulfilled a crucial requirement set by the International Review Mechanism (IRM) for the successful implementation of NAP III.
Dr. Gloria Ahmed, the coordinator, opened the meeting by stating its purpose, which included fulfilling the effectiveness condition of holding the quarterly OGP Technical Working Group meeting and rolling out the activities for the 2024 OGP week in Nigeria.
She outlined five objectives for the TWG meeting: documenting and reviewing the results achieved under NAP III, enhancing the systematic documentation of evidence-based results, ensuring sustainability of reforms and activities in targeted MDAs, identifying implementation challenges and solutions, and starting conversations for NAP IV development.
Dr. Ahmed noted the urgency of meeting the 2-year cycle timeline for NAP III, spanning from January 2023 to January 2025, with only six months remaining. The secretariat had been receiving correspondences from the OGP Global support unit, urging the government to fast-track strategies for delivering on commitments and deliverables as emphasized in the IRM review report.
She highlighted the key learnings from the OGP Global Summit in Estonia, calling for a more committed and collaborative approach to OGP implementation in Nigeria.
“I acknowledge the challenges facing the Nigeria OGP space, as OGP activities have not yet peaked since the last transition in May 2023. However, despite these challenges, State Actors and Non-State Actors are commended for galvanizing the necessary momentum to drive the process and keep OGP Nigeria afloat by championing reforms that have brought Nigeria to the forefront with considerable improvement,” she said.
Dr. Ahmed informed the group that in recognition of their modest reform efforts, the National Secretariat had been informed by OGP Global about plans to host an Open Government challenge culminating in a global summit award ceremony in Spain in 2025.
In her closing, she noted that while the task ahead for the TWG is daunting, it is surmountable. She assured the group that the secretariat is committed to delivering on its mandate by working collaboratively with National and Sub-National governments on OGP delivery in Nigeria. Dr. Ahmed urged the group to justify their TWG membership by facilitating and supporting the institutionalization of targeted reforms through the provision of technical support and effective tracking and documentation of reform actions.
M&E Specialist, Mooreino Diffuffe, highlighted the upcoming tasks for OGP implementation in Nigeria, focusing on areas of concern identified by the International Review Mechanism (IRM). He explained that the meeting’s purpose is to assess progress in reform implementation, identify challenges, collaborate on solutions, and document evidence-based results. The meeting also aims to generate data for transmission to OGP Global, as data input is necessary from the Technical Committee to validate efforts and measure results.
He further outlined the IRM 3 products for reviewing and assessing OGP implementation, which include a creation brief, Action Plan Review, and Result Report. These products are designed to guide TWGs in strategic and systematic prioritization, ensuring the delivery of OGP commitments.
Diffuffe advised state actors to develop templates for collecting data from MDAs quarterly, which can assist in capturing outcomes/results achieved during OGP deliverable implementation. He emphasized the importance of CSOs partnering with MDAs in implementation and policy reforms, adhering to government policy institutionalization.
The meeting was attended by Thematic Working Groups, categorized into State Actors Co-Chair and Non-State Actors Co-Chair, drawn from government institutions and Civil Society Organizations. Attendees included The Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Federal Ministry of Justice, Corporate Affairs Commission, SERVICOM, National Human Rights Commission, Federal Ministry of Environment, FMFNP, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, NITDA, BudgiT, AFRICMIL, Centre LSD, Media Rights Agenda, CISLAC, Connected Development, Nigeria Network of NGOs, Public and Private Development Centre, Accountability Lab, CJID, and Dataphyte.
The meeting had over forty participants. Nkechi Ugwu, Senior Programme Officer (M & E), represented AFRICMIL.
