The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy, and Development (Centre LSD) has trained 35 state and non-state actors to enhance open governance reporting in Gombe State.
Mr. Lawal Amodu, Programme Coordinator, said this at the end of a two-day OGP meeting on Friday in Gombe.
The exercise was being organised by the African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development with support from the MacArthur Foundation.
Amodu, who is also the OGP focal person at Centre LSD, said the training would strengthen the OGP structure in the state.
According to Amodu, since there is an existing OGP structure in the state, the team visit will build the capacity of members of the thematic group to know their roles, functions, what to do, and when to report.
“Based on engagement with our partners in Gombe State, we discovered that one of the gaps needed to be filled is how to report on OGP.
“Now, there are several activities in the state action plan that need to be carried out, so if you carry out those activities, there is a need for a report.
“When you generate those reports from the level of thematic working group to the OGP steering committee in the state, you need to do the report for the steering committee.
“And the steering committee, including the MDAs that are in charge of the thematic areas of physical transparency, citizen engagement, and improved service delivery, has the duty to report back to the OGP,” he said.
He said the OGP secretariat at the state level should report to the national secretariat; otherwise, if reporting has not been done, it means nothing is being done.
Amodu said it was imperative for actors implementing the OGP state action plan to prioritise reportage on their activities, level of progress, and challenges.
He commended the OGP administrative structure for developing a State Action Plan (SAP), while urging the state governor, Inuwa Yahaya, to sign the SAP document to facilitate its implementation.
Also speaking, Dr. Ishaku Babayo, Special Adviser to the Governor on Development Partners Coordination, said open governance had long been embraced in Gombe under the leadership of Inuwa Yahaya.
According to him, the Gombe state government is passionate about openness, adding that “that is why the state is encouraging OGP.”.
He said the state government had signed a document to fast-track the establishment of OGP as part of its commitment to transparency and accountability for the sustainable social and economic development of the state.
“Gombe State is at the top of ease of doing business and has become attractive to global partners in view of its open governance policy.”
He said the state had developed an OGP Action Plan, which would soon be signed into law by the governor.
The governor’s aide commended the Center LSD for the gesture aimed at enhancing transparency in governance and tackling corruption.
Mr. Umar Ali-Goro, the Executive Director, Hope Foundation for the Disabled, Gombe State chapter, said he had benefitted from the exercise, describing it as an eye-opener.
This, he said, gave him the opportunity to report issues on OGP and demand accountability from the government to improve the wellbeing of his members.
He thanked the Center LSD and the MacArthur Foundation for incorporating the disabled persons into the training exercise.
“All development partners who are coming to engage the state government helped to improve the welfare of persons with disabilities.
“Today, many things, like ramps and other facilities, have been provided in public buildings because of these interventions with development partners.
“We are being consulted during budget preparation to reflect our needs, so we are making progress,” he said. (NAN)
