PERL, Kaduna Govt Reviews OGP Action Plan Implementation
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
The Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a UKAID, project, and the Kaduna State government on Friday held a review meeting on the implementation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), Action Plan in the state.
Participants at the end of the meeting are expected to come up with principles and concept to scale up the OGP at the Local Government Areas (LGAs), level. The meeting was also amongst other things met to strengthen partnership among OGP community in Kaduna State, and to review the transition in implementation of the State Action plan.
PERL is a five year Public Sector Accountability and Governance programme funded by the UK’s Department for International Development. PERL is working to reform how governments organize their core business of making, implementing, tracking and accounting for policies, plans and budgets used in delivering public goods (economic stability and an enabling environment for private enterprise so as to promote growth and reduce poverty) and services to the citizenry, and how citizens themselves engage with these processes.
PERL is being delivered through 3 ‘pillars’ which will plan and act together to support sustainable service delivery reforms in Kaduna State. Only two pillars are currently operational in Kaduna State. Pillar 1: Accountable, Responsive & Capable Government (ARC), Pillar 2: Engaged Citizens Pillar (ECP) and Pillar 3. Learning, Evidencing and Advocacy Partnership LEAP).
According to Mallam Mustapha Jumare, a Co-Chair, Citizen and Representative, as part of the OGP implementation action plan on improving transparency, accountability, Citizen participation and use of technology and innovation, the PERL programme brings together credible government and civil society actors who recognize that governments are more likely to be effective , when they open governance to public input and oversight.
In his remarks, Salisu Baba Lawal, who represented the Co-Chair Government, Muhammed Abdullahi, Commissioner for Planning and Budget Commission, commended PERL and other partners for supporting Kaduna state to be at the limelight.
He noted that without the support from partners it would have been difficult for the state to achieve what she has been able to achieve in the OGP global, saying, this has made it possible for the state fully joined the OGP and the only state in the country has has achieved that fit.
