Media Briefing: OGP Welcomes Theo Chiviru to its Africa-Based Staff

Washington DC, February 16, 2017  –  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 happy to announce the addition of Theophilous Chiviru to its staff as Government Support & Exchange Officer for Africa. In this role, he will support OGP countries in Africa to develop and implement high quality, relevant and ambitious OGP National Action Plans, thereby potentially improving the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the continent. 

Chiviru joins OGP from ONE, where he worked on several successful anti-corruption campaigns. “By facilitating cooperation between reformers in government, the private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... and civil society, the OGP framework has great potential to really improve citizens’ lives,” Chiviru said. “Several African governments including Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya have chosen to use the OGP framework to make National 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... commitments on 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..., 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..., financial 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 and civic participation. I look forward to supporting them so that these potentially transformative commitments become reality. I also believe open governance has a huge role to play in enabling the marginalised, especially youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... involvement in government and correcting genderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... imbalances experienced not only in Africa but around the world, as this is very important to me.”

Chiviru comes to OGP at a fortuitous time, with Nigeria and Burkina Faso having joined the partnership in 2016, Access to Information laws recently passed as part of OGP National Action Plans in Kenya and Malawi, and a growing number of francophone African countries expressing interest in joining the partnership.  

OGP CEO Sanjay Pradhan welcomed Chiviru’s arrival. “With twelve participating African governments and thousands of civil society groups actively involved in OGP, Theo’s skills and experience will be in high demand. By opening the doors to government and creating permanent dialogue for decision making, we will start to see improvements in the delivery of such fundamental basic human rightsAn essential part of open government includes protecting the sacred freedoms and rights of all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups, and holding those who violate human rights accountable. T... as educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ... and healthcare, as well as the protection of civic space and stronger anti-corruption measures. Theo’s support in facilitating the delivery of open government reforms will be extremely valuable.”

Based in Pretoria, South Africa, Chiviru will work closely with Nairobi-based Maureen Kariuki, who oversees civil society engagement on OGP in Africa and the Middle East.

Media Contact:

For questions or to set up interviews please contact:

• Dietlind Lerner, dietlind.lerner@opengovpartnership.org

• The 12 African OGP partner governments are: Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Tunisia as well as three subnational governments: Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kenya and Kigoma, Tanzania.

• Further Information about OGP in Africa: OGP Africa Commitments to Watch, blog from May 2016 by Joseph Foti, OGP Program Director, Independent Reporting Mechanism

About OGP:

OGP was formally launched on September 20, 2011, on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting, when eight heads of state, along with nine civil society leaders, endorsed the Open Government Declaration and published the first cohort of OGP National Action Plans.

Today OGP is composed of 75 national governments, 15 subnational governments, seven multilateral organizations, and thousands of civil society organizations who together have made over 3,000 commitments towards open government reforms to promote transparency, increase civic participation, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to make governments more open, effective, and accountable to citizens around the world.

For more information about how Open Government Partnership works visit our website or read our brochure, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our Newsletter and Gazette or watch our films 5 Years of OGP and The Story of OGP.