By Ikemefuna Asika
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) officially announced Anambra East Local Government Area as the first Local Government Area in Nigeria to join it as a member.
Open Government Partnership (OGP) is an international partnership that brings together government and civil society organizations to create ambitious reforms to open up governments and better respond to citizens’ needs.
According to a member of the OGP Steering Committee and the OGP Local Selection Committee Chair, Natalia Carfi, the diversity of selected members, including from OGP countries with no previous Local members like Nigeria where Anambra East is the first LG 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.”
Natalia pointed out that 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.
Natalia further disclosed that within this year (2024), members of OGP Local have co-created more than 120 action plans and committed to implementing more than 475 open government initiatives.
According to Natalia, “Selected from 138 applications across the globe, 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.
” This partnership plugs Anambra East Local Government to a global network of 75 Nations and 140 Local Governments across the world opening it up to collaborations and possible funding opportunities from across the world.”
Reacting to the development, the Transition Committee Chairman of Anambra East LGA, Hon. Dr Anselm Chukwudi Anselm Onuorah pointed out that ” It is important to note that Anambra East is the only LGA in Nigeria and part of the under 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 LGAs are free to take initiatives that help foster growth and development in our respective LGAs. I thank, also, our Partnerships and Strategy Office and our civil society partners – Centre for Inclusive Social Development – for their tireless efforts in achieving this milestone”
The Chief Executive Officer of Open Government Partnership, Sanjay Pradhan said “We are delighted to welcome no less than 55 brand new local jurisdictions to the growing network of reformers that OGP has 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 local government is now uniquely positioned to respond effectively to citizen demands due to their proximity to communities”, he said.
