Anambra East Local Government Area, Anambra State has announced that it had on April 16, joined Open Government Partnership (OGP), an international partnership, making it the first Nigerian member of the partnership.
Announcing the initiative, the Transition Committee chairman of the LGA, Dr. Anselm Onuora, stated that Anambra East LGA is joining a network of leaders who work with citizens and civil society organizations to implement action plans, tailored to their local contexts, to improve their communities using open government approaches.
Notably, Open Government Partnership (OGP) is an international partnership that brings together governments and civil society organizations to create ambitious reforms, open up governments and better respond to citizens’ needs.
According to Dr. Onuora, who vowed to make his administration more transparent, accountable and participatory, “the partnership connects Anambra East LGA to a global network of 75 nations and 140 local governments across the world, after being selected from 138 applications across the globe, thereby opening it up to collaborations and possible funding opportunities from across the world.
He stated, “It is important to note that Anambra East is the only LGA in Nigeria and part of the other 20 local governments across Africa admitted to join this global partnership after a careful post-application selection.
“We are happy to join the Open Government Partnership. This is a testament to the independence of local government authorities enabled by Mr. Governor, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s leadership in our dear state. It shows that the 3rd tier of government functions optimally as it is supposed and that we, the chairmen of the LGAs are free to take initiatives that help foster growth and development in our respective LGAs.
“I thank, also, our Partners and Strategy Office and our civil society partners – Centre for Inclusive Social Development – for their tireless efforts in achieving this milestone.”
In his speech, the Chief Executive Officer of the Open Government Partnership, Sanjay Pradhan, noted, “We are delighted to welcome no less than 55 brand new local jurisdictions to the growing network of reformers that OGP had built, since it was founded in 2011. This expansion underscores governments’ collective commitment to better serve their citizens’ needs.
“By embracing open government approaches, Anambra East is now uniquely positioned to respond effectively to citizens’ demands due to their proximity to communities.”
Also speaking, a member of the OGP Steering Committee and the OGP Local Selection Committee, Natalia Carfi, noted that the diversity of selected members, including OGP member countries with no previous local members like Nigeria where Anambra East is the first LGA to have met the criteria and, for the first time in its history, from countries eligible to join OGP; This shows the partnership’s effort to broaden the reach and scope of OGP local in line with OGP’s 2023-2028 strategy to mainstream open government at all levels and branches of government.”
The Open Government Partnership provides a space for open government leaders to form coalitions that drive change in their contexts, to learn from each other, and to collaborate with peers from around the world to deliver better policies for citizens.
As of 2024, members of OGP Local have co-created more than 120 action plans and committed to implementing more than 475 open government initiatives.
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