*COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF A VIRTUAL CONFERENCE WITH THE THEME, ‘OGP KADUNA: DEEPENING REFORMS, THINKING SUSTAINABILITY’ ORGANIZED BY THE COALITION OF ASSOCIATIONS FOR LEADERSHIP, PEACE, EMPOWERMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (CALPED) AND PARTNERS*
*PREAMBLE*
On the 15th December, 2022, the Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED) in partnership with the OGP Kaduna Secretariat, Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) facilitated a virtual conference with the theme, OGP Kaduna: Deepening Reforms, Thinking Sustainability.
The goal was to convene stakeholders to brainstorm on deepening ongoing reforms and contribute a body of ideas on how to sustain the gains post-2023 transition. The target reforms cut across those that are directly and indirectly contributing to citizens’ engagement, transparency, accountability, responsiveness and improved service delivery.
The dialogue had the objectives to: contribute a body of ideas to ongoing conversation and effort by the Kaduna State government in developing a Reforms Sustainability Plan; promote wider stakeholders’ involvement in safeguarding the gains of ongoing reforms from risks that come with the transition process; and advocate for the mainstreaming of the sustainability of ongoing reforms as a campaign issue in the forthcoming general elections.
The keynote speakers at the virtual conference were the World Bank’s Citizens/Civil Society Engagement Consultant and Point of Contact of OGP Kaduna, who represented the Honorable Commissioner, Kaduna State Planning & Budget Commission; while the panel discussants were the Executive Director of the Budget Research and Development Policy Advocacy Center (BREDPAC), Executive Director of Aid Foundation and Executive Director of FollowTaxes. The participants were drawn from representatives of the Academia, Accountability Mechanisms, CDC Champions, Development Partners, Media and other non-state actors.
During the course of the dialogue a number of key observations were made and resolutions reached.
*OBSERVATIONS*
1. The Kaduna State government was commended for being reform-minded with noticeable progress being recorded in citizens’ engagement, fiscal transparency and social accountability. Notwithstanding, there is much work to be done in translating these reforms’ gains into development outcomes.
2. As the tenure of the incumbent administration is coming to an end, collaborative effort is needed to sustain key reforms that have been initiated. These reforms vary from legal, institutional, systems and sectoral, many of which are being co-implemented by the government and citizens. Although some of the reforms need to be reviewed, others have gotten global recognition and made Kaduna a learning hub.
3. There is still widespread public ignorance about ongoing reforms, in some cases even within government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) leading to low buy-in and ownership. This remains a major threat to the sustainability of many of the reform initiatives.
4. The Kaduna State Executive Council recently approved a Reform Sustainability Committee, led by Permanent Secretaries, to deepen the institutionalization of the reforms for sustainability.
5. Also, the Planning & Budget Commission holds quarterly meetings with all MDAs, in which the staff are sensitized on the OGP and encouraged to provide citizens’ with relevant information. To ensure compliance, civil society actors are also encouraged to copy the Planning & Budget Commission when requesting for information, such as the bill of quantity, from the MDAs.
6. Beyond the State government’s effort to ensure the reforms are sustained, the civil society has a critical role in ensuring wider citizens’ awareness, buy-in, ownership and putting pressure on the incoming government to consolidate on the gains recorded.
7. The target reforms for sustainability cut across public financial management, policy and strategy, public service management and monitoring and evaluation. Also of interest to the civil society are those that are directly and indirectly contributing to citizens’ engagement, transparency, accountability, responsiveness and improved service delivery.
8. Some of these reforms were as a result of the Kaduna Economic Transformation Program for Result, Open Government Partnership (OGP), State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability Sustainability (SFTAS) Program for Result, Local Government Baseline Self-Assessment, Community Development Charter (CDC) and Local Government Fiscal Transparency, Accountability & Sustainability (LFTAS) Program etc.
9. There are many ways to deepen reforms and ensure sustainability, but it ultimately depends on the specific context and goals of the reforms in question. However, it must involve key stakeholders in the process. This will ensure that the reforms have the buy-in and support of those who will be affected by them.
10. To deepen reforms and ensure sustainability, it is important to conduct thorough analysis and planning, focus on long-term sustainability, monitor and evaluate the effects of the reforms, and engage in continuous learning and improvement. These strategies can help ensure that reforms are effective, adaptable, and relevant to addressing the needs of the community.
11. The key reforms without legal backing need to be urgently backed relevant laws to empower civil society to engage the incoming government on sustainability. The Freedom of Information (FoI) Act is yet to be domesticated; likewise, the Community Development Charter (CDC) and executive budget town-hall meeting as well as the Social Protection bill among others need to be legislated and assented into law before May 29th, 2023.
12. Civil society organizations and citizens are currently engaging with political candidates vying for public offices, presenting demand charters and signing social contracts, which includes the sustainability of key reforms.
13. An entry point for the sustainability of these reforms is the effective engagement of the transition process after the elections. The civil society needs to come up with a pragmatic advocacy strategy and position papers to engage the transition committee on reforms to be sustained.
*RESOLUTION*
1. The synergy among accountability mechanisms and other civil society networks needs to be strengthened to ensure effective advocacy targeted at the incoming government towards sustaining the gains of key reforms.
2. Call on the Kaduna State government to accelerate the process of domesticating the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act, amendment of the Fiscal Responsibility Law, 2016, to include the Community Development Charter (CDC), executive budget town-hall meeting and accountability mechanisms as well as the Social Protection bill among others.
3. Call on the State government to include civil society representatives in the Reforms’ Sustainability Committee to strengthen ownership and mobilize public support.
4. Call on the State government through the Economic Planning Board (EPB) to replicate the Reforms Sustainability Committees in the 23 Local Government Areas to sustain the implementation of the Local Government Development Plan, Community Development Charter (CDC) and Local Government Fiscal Transparency, Accountability Sustainability (LFTAS) Program.
5. Call on the State government to ensure all civil servants are sensitized on the benefits of reforms such as the OGP, as well as identification of reform champions within the civil service to be trained on strategies for sustaining reforms.
6. Call on the State government to hold a stakeholders town-hall meeting to publicly present the performance report on the implementation of the ongoing reforms and the level of contribution to delivering the outcome indicators in the previous and current State Development Plan (SDP).
7. To facilitate collaboration with the media to carry-out widespread public awareness on existing reforms, the gains recorded so far and benefits of sustainability.
8. Civil Society actors trained by the OGP National Secretariat on State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability & Sustainability (SFTAS) driven reforms, tools and publications to step down the capacity to other civil society partners to deepen understanding, buy-in, ownership and engagement.
Signed
Seth Luke,
Project Officer
Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED)
