The Sokoto State government has pledged to sustain and give more support to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) State2State open government partnership (OGP) project and also to ensure effective implementation of state action plan across all sectors.
Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General of the state who is the Co-Chair of the project, Barrister Nasiru Binji, made the pledge at the quarterly review meeting of the OGP activities in Sokoto State.
Barrister Binji noted that the state would employ all possible modalities to empower bureau of public procurement and fiscal responsibility agency as established by law to ensure transparency and accountability in the state.
“To ensure fiscal transparency, the state government would ensure law establishing the two agencies is adequately followed to promote transparency and accountability in governance.
“Efforts are also underway to engage all relevant ministries, department and agencies for effective implementation of state action plan of OGP in the state,” Binji said.
He said the state would provide needed funds and adopt use of technology in the implementation of OGP State Action Plan.
The Commissioner further said the state would facilitate consultative meetings with citizens on budget preparation and policies implementation through town hall meetings.
In his remarks, the USAID State2State Financial Management Specialist, Mr. Usman Faleye, said the meeting was to review progress on OGP implementation in the state, activities conducted within the year and anticipated activities within the last quarter of the year.
According to him, it was also to prepare the OGP steering committee members and stakeholders including women for more active engagement in OGP state action plan implementation including mainstreaming gender, social inclusion in the project.
Mr. Faleye noted that the review meeting was to re-organise and expand the steering and technical committees of the OGP in line with the new government set up.
He commended the co-chair and state Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Nasir Binji, for his commitments towards OGP program in the state.
Mr. Faleye urged the state and technical committees, ” to brace up to their responsibilities and network with more non- state actors and as well learn from their counterpart in the states doing well in OGP”.
Highlight of the two-day review meeting was presentations on importance of citizens’ engagement in achieving the OGP reforms, mainstreaming gender and social inclusion among others.
Open Government Partnership (OGP), is a global Partnership with over one hundred countries, where Sokoto State is enlisted as one of the two hundred sub-nationals in February, 2022.
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