The Federal Ministry Of Finance, Budget & National Planning (National planning wing) has organized a sensitization workshop for Directorate Officers, Unit heads and staff of the Ministry on the operations and principles of the Open Government Partnership, OGP in commemoration of the OGP week.
The event held at Global Village Suites, One man Village, Nasarawa State, on Saturday, 3rd September, 2022.
In her opening remarks, the OGP National Coordinator, Dr. Gloria Ahmed disclosed that the Open Government Partnership (OGP), is a global and multilateral initiative that seeks to reform public sector performance with an emphasis on improved public service delivery.
Maintaining that the OGP initiative is a testament to President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment against corruption and public sector inefficiency, Dr. Ahmed said Nigeria’s membership in the OGP is focused on building a better relationship between government and civil society by creating various avenues of engagement and collaboration.
According to her, “this is evident in the improvement in citizens’ participation in the budget cycle and other fiscal transparency measures.”
The OGP National Coordinator further assured that the National Secretariat remains committed to supporting the implementation of the OGP Principles, as it will work with partners to infuse citizens’ participation from the beginning of the budget cycle to the end.
In her words, “Under my leadership, the National Secretariat will continue to support the OGP process at the national and sub-national levels to meet the demands encapsulated in the OGP National Action Plans. As we have here today, we will work with partners to infuse citizens’ participation from the beginning of the budget cycle to the end. I am pleased to see the civil society coordinate itself to make relevant input to the budget across the focus sectors in a way that citizens feel the impact.”
“Today’s sessions are designed to build a knowledge base for you to understand the role of OGP in the public sector and your obligations to push the sustainable reforms achieved under the OGP.” She added.
Dr. Ahmed urged Civil Servants to cease the opportunity to thoroughly absorb the key points delivered in all the sessions and ensure to imbibe the spirit of co-creation with stakeholders, transparency and accountability.
The Meeting had in attendance, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, who was represented by Admin Director, Omotayo Adeyemi, among other Directors, Unit heads and members of the OGP National Secretariat.
The OGP Week is an annual event celebrated across member countries to mark the birth of the Open Government Partnership initiatives, which was celebrated this year between 16th to 20th May, 2022.
The first phase of the sensitization was done for key Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDA’s), followed by the second phase, meant for Directors and Unit heads, similarly, the third phase would be for deputy directors and other staff of the Ministry.