Abuja: The National Coordinator of Open Government Partnership (OGP), Dr. Gloria Ahmed, has advocated for a four-year National Action Plan (NAP) to enhance the effectiveness of the organisation. Ahmed made this proposal at the NAP III Valedictory Thematic Working Group (TWG) meeting in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, OGP is a global initiative that unites government reformers and civil society leaders to develop action plans aimed at making governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. Ahmed highlighted that Nigeria previously opted for a two-year plan, a decision that proved challenging as it coincided with government transitions. This interruption affected the implementation process, leading to adverse effects due to the expiration of the plan.
Ahmed emphasized that a four-year plan would provide stability and continuity, minimizing the negative impacts of governmental changes. She noted that the NAP III implementation was particularly challenging due to factors such as political transitions, changes in OGP leadership, and non-budgetary funding issues.
Despite these challenges, Ahmed commended the efforts of the team, stating that they managed to deliver results by innovatively exploring options aligned with OGP principles. The recent TWG meeting, she mentioned, was the last under the current TWG and provided an opportunity to review, validate, and consolidate the achievements of NAP III.
The meeting also laid the groundwork for the development of NAP IV, with lessons learned from NAP III offering crucial insights for the future. Ahmed praised the dedication of state and non-state actors, the national steering committee, and TWG members for their commitment amidst challenges.
Mrs. Obialunanma Nnaobi-Ayodele, the Non-State Actors Co-Chair, elaborated that NAP III focused on seven thematic areas: fiscal transparency, extractive transparency, access to information, environment, climate change, governance, civic participation and inclusion, and improved service delivery. She acknowledged the progress made in participatory budgeting and public sector service delivery but stressed that more efforts are needed to enhance citizen engagement and access to information in governance processes.