By Egede, Sylvester Ikechukwu
To review and update Ebonyi State OGP Action plan for 2025-2027, USAID Nigeria State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness ( State2State Activity) has concluded a 5-day residential workshop .
The workshop, held at Nike Lake Resorts Enugu, was to review and update the second State Action Plan 2022 - 2024 (SAP2) and development of third State Action Plan 2025 - 2027.
In his welcome remarks, the State2State Team Lead, Dr. Sam Onyia explained that Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a global initiative that brings together governments, civil society organizations and citizens to promote transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in governance. He stated that it was launched in the year 2011, and was to protect civil space and provide civil liberty in Nigeria both at National and Sub National levels.
Dr. Onyia said the workshop will review and update the costed implementation plan of SAP2 in Ebonyi State so as to align it with the proposal for SAP3.
He added that it will also conduct on boarding for the newly constituted steering committee to understand their roles and responsibilities, and synergize their activities with the OGP technical working groups in driving OGP implementation and finally develop an action plan on agreed next steps to guide the implementation of the SAP3.
In an opening remarks, the Principal Secretary to the Ebonyi State Governor and the Co-Chairman of OGP representing the Government side, Chief Mathias Adum thanked the USAID State2State for their various interventions, activities, trainings and programmes aimed at ensuring good governance in Ebonyi State. He solicited for the inclusion of the local government in the OGP thematic working groups so as to integrate the grassroots.
He assured of the supports and cooperation of Ebonyi State Government in the effective and successful implementation of the State Acton Plan3.
On his part, the OGP Co-Chair in charge of the civil society, Mr. Oliver Aja Chima urged the participants to place much emphasis on the workshop as the collaboration between government and civil society organizations have been very fruitful, adding that the review meeting will help to improve on the implementation of the SAP3.
In a presentation, the Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist, and the OGP focal person for State2State, Ejiro Okotie, who spoke on mainstreaming GESI in OGP State Action Plan, said it will provide the participants with the tools and GESI principles to make the implementation of the State Action Plan more inclusive.
Chief Uchenna Arisukwu, from the national secretariat of OGP delivered lectures on understanding the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Process and Commitment. He maintained that the OGP is a policy approach to governance reforms that aimed to build a culture of transparency, civic participation and accountability that increase confidence in government and equally strengthen social contacts.
The monitoring and Evaluation Specialist from the OGP National secretariat, Mr. Mooreino Diftuffe, who presented modalities for Delivery of State Action Plan3 highlighted the basic needs for the programme team on how to carry out their roles and responsibilities towards managing for results.
The 5-day workshop witnessed plenary and technical sessions where participants agreed on the increment of the OGP thematic groups to five with its commitments. The group are Environment and Climate Change, Peace Building and Conflict Management, Citizen and Local Government Engagement, Fiscal Transparency and Access to Information while the State Steering Committee Members were 20 whose mandate cut across all the thematic areas in SAP3. The Updated State Action Plan will strengthen and sustain the implementation of OGP in Ebonyi State.
In a vote of thanks at the end of the workshop, the Chairman of Ebonyi State Local Government Service Commission, Chief Romanus Nwasum and the Clerk of the State House of Assembly, Mrs. Blessing Uche Edene commended the USAID State2State for their partnership with Ebonyi State which they said has helped in reshaping the future of the state and the people. They assured of the continuity of the programme in Ebonyi State.
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