Reform partners review 2018 engagements, plan ahead for next year 

Partners representing various citizens' constituenciesyesterday met in Abuja to reflect and review their activities in the outgoing year and planed for more intensified qualitative and productive engagement next year.

The two-day Partners’ Review Session with the Theme: ‘Reviewing and Planning Results with Partners', was organised by the Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a programme of the Department for International Development (DFID).

Oma
The partners drawn from the civil society and other wider citizens groups, the media, legislature, government and private sector came together to review progress made in engagement on various governance, reforms and service delivery issues over the period of February, 2018 to date

The partners identified key lessons and challenges to improve the effectiveness of their collective and individual roles in supporting citizens and their constituencies to constructively influence government decision-making during budget, policy formulation and implementation for improved delivery of public goods and services.

The session offered opportunity for various actors to draw learning and supportive collaboration from one another.

Participants said the level of interaction was interesting and useful as it provided them an opportunity to better understand and appreciate and learn from each other. The various partners which cut across the geo political zones also used the medium to network for subsequent collaboration and synergy

Oloniju
It would be recalled that PERL facilitated similar sessions in April, 2017 and January, 2018 respectively.

The review session was intended to assist the partners to build on the experiences recorded since the last sessions with common objectives of promoting citizens voice and inclusion.

The Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda who is also the National Co-Chair of Open Government Partnership, Edetaen Ojo said the partners at the session reflected in the activities in the last one year, assessed their engagement and projected for the coming year.

Ojo
The South-West Coordinator of Publish What You Pay, Mr Paul Oma said the session came at the right time and that it would assist the partners in stepping up their activities and attain higher heights in their engagement subsequently.

Also, the Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Ondo State, Comrade Franklin Oloniju commended DFID/PERL for its support which has enabled diverse citizens groups achieve greatly in striving for good governance and citizens participation for improved service delivery.