fbpx

Empowering Global Youth: A Path to Inclusive Democracy

By Kibo Ngowi Amidst the challenges faced by democracies worldwide, a beacon of hope is emerging as young people take charge of their futures. Youth across the globe are stepping up to redefine their roles in shaping governance. And the call for increased youth participation resonates strongly in the global south.  Despite a lower-than-desired voter turnout in the Nigerian elections earlier this year, the resilience of the 'Not Too Young To Run' movement demonstrated the transformative power of youth cohesion as several young candidates who benefitted from the campaign took office for the first time. Pakistan, with its youthful population, [...]

2023-12-07T10:05:42+00:007th December 2023|

CSO tasks NOA DG on national gender policy implementation

A Civil Society Organisation, Accountability Lab Nigeria, dedicated to promoting gender equality and women empowerment, has called for concerted efforts with the newly-appointed Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, on gender equality in workspace and every other human endeavor to afford women a levelled playing field. Accountability Lab made this call during a crucial meeting with the newly-appointed Director General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, and its Programs and Learning Manager, Ehi Idakwo. At the meeting, the CSO harped on the critical importance of NOA’s commitment to implementing the National Gender Policy in [...]

2023-11-07T10:38:49+00:007th November 2023|

Shaping the narrative: strategic communication as a catalyst for effective governance

By Enene Ejembi  People in positions of power need to improve how they communicate, and be more open, collaborative with their communities. Transparent and inclusive communication between the government and the public is essential for building trust, promoting accountability, and fostering a thriving democracy. Thus, strategic communication is a fundamental aspect of effective governance and leadership. When citizens have access to accurate and timely information, it helps build public trust. It's not just about disseminating information; it's about empowering citizens and enabling active participation in the democratic process. It provides material evidence for holding government officials accountable for their actions [...]

2023-08-24T16:50:09+00:0015th August 2023|

Music as a Catalyst – Amplifying Underrepresented Voices

By Kibo Ngowi Art is a powerful tool for connecting people and shining a light on important social issues, and promoting equity and representation. This is an idea that runs right through the Lab’s Arts for Change programming. With music in particular, the Lab has created a network of musicians making socially conscious music across the African continent, creating sustainable models for change that integrate values and impact into the fabric of their work.  Two people who played an instrumental role in this process are the musician MI Abaga and the activist Nora Rahimian. These two talented changemakers have recognized [...]

2023-06-27T09:38:29+00:0027th June 2023|

Rhythmic Advocacy: Inside V2R Nigeria’s Songwriting Bootcamp

By Murkthar Suleiman & Sharon Patrick-Udoh In the words of Fela Anikulapo Kuti: "Music is the weapon. Music is the weapon of the future." We've just completed an exciting initiative at the Lab, and it was a whirlwind of rhythm and creativity! Our Voice2Rep program is designed for undiscovered music artists who advocate for greater representation, participation, and accountability. Its aim is to make their voices heard, connect with socially-conscious leaders in the music industry, and build the skills they need to help shape Nigeria's future through the power of music. This program took center stage during our recent Songwriting [...]

2023-05-31T08:03:20+00:0030th May 2023|

HEDA Partners with AMAC to Promote Open Government Partnership in Nigeria

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has partnered with Abuja Municipal Area Council to engage stakeholders towards Open Government Partnership (OGP), as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance governance and combat corruption in Nigeria. The workshop organised by AMAC with support of HEDA and MacArthur foundation was aimed at raising awareness about the OGP and to develop an action plan to ensure the implementation of the Abuja Municipal Area Council’s (AMAC) OGP commitment. The Open Government Partnership is a multinational initiative aimed at securing tangible commitments from national and sub-national governments to foster open government practices, [...]

2023-05-30T06:41:42+00:0030th May 2023|

Citizen Journalists, Student Observers Laud Initiative On Youth Participation And Election Coverage

Under the partnership, trained reporters, student journalists and observers were deployed across the country to promote increased youth participation and report the conduct of the elections in their locality. Young Nigerians have praised the 'Go Out & Vote Now (GOVN)' initiative which involved them in the coverage of the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections held on February 25th. In the build-up to the elections, Sahara Media Foundation in partnership with Civic Media Lab and Accountability Lab Nigeria engaged citizen journalists and student observers to raise youth voices and cover the most important polls in the history of the country. [...]

2023-03-15T19:24:46+00:0010th March 2023|

CSOs seek citizens’ participation in purposeful governance

By Bertram Nwannekanma Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in the country, have called for citizens’ participation in ensuring purposeful governance and leadership in Nigeria ahead of 2023 election. The groups, which unveiled Nigeria’s Citizen’Scenario, a projection into the possible developmental trajectory of the country leading to its centenary in 2060, tagged, ‘CS60,’ stressed that the quality and integrity of the 2023 General Elections in Nigeria would lay a foundation for future elections in the country. Unveiling the CS60 at a virtual news conference monitored in Lagos, the CSOs identified four scenarios that described the picture of Nigeria’s developmental trajectory, which depends largely on the [...]

2023-01-18T12:01:15+00:0014th January 2023|

Low compliance with FOI, public procurement laws responsible for high corruption in public sector – CSOs

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has said that corruption in the public sector will continue to rise due to a lack of transparency in the public procurement laws and providing the public with little or no information regarding contracts being awarded by elected and appointed officials of governments. The coalition decried that despite the enactment of the Public Procurement Act 2007 and the Freedom of Information Act 2011, corruption has geometrically increased in the public sector due to a lack of implementation. It regretted that the laws which were put in place to monitor projects and hold government [...]

2022-11-15T09:16:36+00:006th November 2022|

Government tasked on implementation of PPA, FOI Acts to fight corruption

The CSOs said corrupt officials would continue to manipulate laws unless the various governments increase the tempo of all enacted laws. A call has gone to governments at all levels to make good use of the Public Procurement Act (PPA), 2007, and the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011, to prevent further, and control the wave of corruption in the nation’s public offices. This was the submission on Sunday, by a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), at the end of their four-day 2022 Hack Corruption Workshop, jointly organised by the Accountability Lab (AL), Open Contracting Partnership (OCP), and United [...]

2022-11-15T09:20:15+00:006th November 2022|
Go to Top