Nigeria Implementation Report 2017-2019
- Action Plan: Nigeria Design Report 2017-2019
- Dates Under Review: 2017-2019
- Report Publication Year: 2021
Nigeria’s first action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... initiated open government reforms such as civic engagement in the budget process and open contractingA transparent procurement process, known as open contracting, increases competition, improves public service delivery, and ensures governments better value for their money. Technical specifications: C.... Ongoing civil society support often drove commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... implementation. Meanwhile, limited lead agency engagement and lengthy legislative processes inhibited the implementation of some commitments. Resultantly, 10 of 14 commitments will be continued in Nigeria’s ambitious second action plan.
The Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) is a global partnership that brings together government reformers and civil society leaders to create action plans that make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... monitors all action plans to ensure governments follow through on commitments. Nigeria joined OGP in 2016. Since, Nigeria has implemented one action plan. This report evaluates the implementation of Nigeria’s first action plan.
| Table 1. At a glance
Participating since: 2016 Action plan development Is there a multi-stakeholder forumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple...: Yes Action plan design Commitments relevant to OGP values: 12 (86%) Action plan implementation Starred commitments: 0 *DIOG: Did it Open Government |
General overview of action plan
Nigeria achieved an “involve” level of participation during implementation of its first action plan. Frequent Steering CommitteeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru... and thematic working group meetings facilitated communication on the progress of commitment implementation between the government and civil society.
Nigeria gained notable open government achievements in the areas of open budget processes, open contracting, and ease of doing business. Important open government reforms include the creation of the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal and the first transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More portal for extractive-sector beneficial ownershipDisclosing beneficial owners — those who ultimately control or profit from a business — is essential for combating corruption, stemming illicit financial flows, and fighting tax evasion. Technical... in the region. Nigeria also laid groundwork for access to information and comprehensive beneficial ownership transparency in the second national action plan.
However, most commitments were not completed. Lead agencies’ failed engagement stalled implementation of commitments. Additionally, slow-moving legislative processes inhibited several commitments that required the passage of new laws. The multistakeholder forum should prioritize collaboration with lead agencies and legislators in facilitating Nigeria’s ambitious second action plan.
Table 2. Noteworthy commitments
| Commitment description | Status at the end of the implementation cycle |
| 2: Full implementation of open contracting and adoption of open contracting data standards in the public sector. | This commitment saw limited implementation with a marginal change in government practices. Establishing the open contracting portal was a notable achievement, but it had limited MDA participation and operational challenges. Additionally, the National Council on Public ProcurementTransparency in the procurement process can help combat corruption and waste that plagues a significant portion of public procurement budgets globally. Technical specifications: Commitments that aim t... was not established. Continuation of this commitment in the next action plan is an opportunity to build on this work toward transformative change. |
| 6: Establish a public register of Beneficial Owners of Companies. | This commitment had a limited level of implementation and led to a marginal change in open government practices. The beneficial ownership registry is not yet established. However, recent passage of the revised CAMA Act has created the legal framework for full implementation of this commitment in the next action plan. |
| 10 and 11. Improved compliance of public institutions with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in respect to the annual reporting obligations, responses to requests, and proactive disclosure provisions. | Both Commitments 10 and 11 achieved limited completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin... and resulted in marginal changes in government practice. Commitment 10 increased the number of e-FOI portals, FOI Desk Officers, and training for MDAs and CSOs. However, FOI compliance did not change across a significant number of MDAs, and there are still no penalties for noncompliance. Related commitments were carried into the second action plan. |
KEY IRM Recommendations
The IRM key recommendations are prepared in the IRM Design Report. They aim to inform the development of the next action plan and guide implementation of the current action plan. In Nigeria’s 2017−2019 Design Report, the IRM recommended the following:
| Collaborate with civil society and the OGP Support UnitThe OGP Support Unit is a small, permanent group of staff that work closely with the Steering Committee and the Independent Reporting Mechanism to advance the goals of the Open Government Partnership..... |
| Consolidate and reaffirm the role of NSC Nigeria to enhance action plan delivery. |
| Build an enabling environment to strengthen implementation of OGP action plans. |
| Build on lessons from the first action plan to improve commitment implementation and action plan results. |
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