The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has partnered with Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to engage stakeholders towards Open Government Partnership (OGP) as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance governance and combat corruption in Nigeria.

The workshop organised by AMAC with support of HEDA and MacArthur Foundation was aimed at raising awareness about the OGP and to develop an action plan to ensure the implementation of the AMAC OGP commitment.

The Open Government Partnership is a multinational initiative aimed at securing tangible commitments from national and sub-national governments to foster open government practices, empower citizens, fight corruption, and leverage new technologies to strengthen governance.

Representing HEDA Chairman, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, at the workshop, Ms. Cecilia Ogwuche, the organization’s legal officer, stressed the significance of the workshop in fostering transparent, and accountable governance, and to demonstrate potentials of governments-civil society collaboration towards achieving common goals.

The workshop brought together various experts who served as facilitators, including representatives from the Open Contracting Partnership (OCP), OGP Secretariat, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as well as participants from notable organizations such as AMAC, DEAN Initiative, Africa Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Connected Development (CODE), BudgIt Nigeria, Action Aid Nigeria, and Accountability Lab (AL).

It further emphasized the importance of collaboration between AMAC and civil society organizations (CSOs) in developing an action plan that ensures effective implementation. The workshop also had brainstorming session, where participants contributed suggestions for the content of the Action Plan.

Meanwhile, the OGP Steering Committee and the CSOs reached an agreement on the Strategic Vision of the AMAC OGP Action Plan. The plan would primarily focus on promoting open contracting, which involves transparently publishing and utilizing accessible and timely information on government contracts.

HEDA reaffirmed its unwavering support for AMAC’s Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plan, recognizing its potential to promote transparency, accountability, citizen participation, and collaborative partnerships.

•HEDA Chairman Suraju

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