Civil Society reviews budget engagement, share learning 

The civil society in the southwest today reviewed budget engagement in the region, shared experience of good practices and re-strategized towards galvanizing and improving service delivery.

The meeting which was facilitated by Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a programme of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), afforded the civil society partners in the region opportunity to reflect on their activities around budget engagement in 2019 in order to guide their subsequent activities.

The meeting which was held in Akure, Ondo State was attended by leadership of Coalition of Ekiti State Civil Society Organizations (COECSO), Lagos State Civil Society Partnership (LACSOP), Federation of Informal Workers Organization of Nigeria (FIWON) Osun State, Center for Grassroots Education, Health and Empowerment (CENGEHE), Ogun State.

Others are Life and Peace Development Organization (LAPDO) Ondo State, Disability Not A Barrier Initiative (DINABI), New Initiative For Social Development (NIFSD) and African Foundation for Environment and Development (AFED) and the media.

The PERL-Engaged Citizens Southwest Partnership Facilitator, Josiah Aramide told participants that the objective of the meeting was to reflect on the challenges with citizen accountability mechanisms and techniques for improving responsiveness of government.

At the meeting, the civil society shared experience on successful budget engagement efforts and intervention. They also pledged to intensity efforts in engaging all the budget cycle in 2020.

The PERL Southwest Team Leader, Mr Adewale Agbojo urged civil society in the region to do more on budget engagement to ensure that budgeted funds by the state government in the region delivers services to the people.