Executive Summary
Nigeria occupies a special place in Africa and in global affairs. It is Africa’s largest economy and 26th in the world. Nigeria has the potential to become a major player in the global economy by virtue of its human and natural endowments. However, as recognized by the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (2017–2020), this potential has remained relatively untapped over the years, partly because of corruption and mismanagement of public finances. The result is poor socio-economic and development indices.
President Muhammadu Buhari, at his swearing-in in 2015, promised to make the fight against corruption a cardinal part of his administration. His commitment to a full-scale anticorruption agenda was accentuated in May 2016, when the President attended the International Anti-Corruption Summit organized by the government of the United Kingdom. It was on this global stage that he reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening anti-corruption reforms through implementing programs aimed at exposing corruption, punishing the corrupt, providing support to the victims of corruption, and driving out the culture of corruption’.
Flowing from these commitments, the Federal Government sought to deepen institutional and policy reforms, leading to Nigeria joining the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in July 2016 as the 70th country. The OGP is an international multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving transparency, accountability, citizen participation, and responsiveness to citizens through technology and innovation.Â
It brings together government and civil society champions of reform who recognize that governments are more likely to be more effective and credible when they open governance to public input and oversight. At the national level, OGP introduces a domestic policy mechanism through which the government and civil society can dialogue. At the international level, it provides a global platform to connect, empower, and support domestic reformers committed to transforming governments and societies through openness.
The OGP was formally launched in 2011 when the eight (8) founding governments (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States) endorsed the Open Government Declaration and announced their country action plans. The uniqueness of the OGP process lies in the implementation of the National Action Plan, as it provides an organizing framework for international networking and incentives.
Between January 2017 to May 2019, the country’s inaugural National Steering Committee oversaw the implementation of the First Nigeria OGP National Action Plan (NAP I). It was comprised of fourteen commitments organized around four thematic areas: fiscal transparency, anti-corruption, access to information, and citizens’ engagement. The Second National Action Plan (NAP II) leverages and incorporates the lessons, insights, and perspectives gained from the last two and a half years of implementing NAP I.