Governors-elect in States in the Niger Delta must consider mainstreaming gender and technology as part of their efforts to build a culture of openness and accountability in the region, Policy Alert, a non-governmental organization that promotes social and economic, and ecological justice in the Niger Delta, has said.
The demand was part of resolutions reached during a Learning Event last Friday Uyo on the theme, “OGP at the sub-national level: Can gender equity and technology make a difference?”
Panelists at the event explored the linkages between gender, technology, and the uptake and implementation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) by states in the region.
Participants drawn from the government, the private sector, and civil society discussed the long-term benefits of improving the relationship between citizens and their government.
The Project Lead, KoKo Udoh stated that “through this learning event series, NOGO seeks to deepen participants’ understanding of OGP principles and the role that gender equity and technology could play in OGP implementation at the sub-national level.”
Udoh maintained that the OGP was based on the idea that an open government was more accessible, responsive, and accountable to the citizens.
“By employing tech tools and promoting gender equality and social inclusion in governance processes, we can ensure that openness results in exponential benefits for everyone,” he stated.
Participants also called on the incoming governors in states of the Niger Delta to sign on to the OGP where the current administrations have not done or strengthen implementation in cases where the states have already signed on to the OGP.
The learning series is an activity of the Niger Delta Open Government Observatory (NOGO), which is supported by USAID/Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) and implemented by Palladium. Through the NOGO Cluster, a consortium of nine organizations is working to influence the adoption and effective implementation of OGP by citizens and government of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Imo, and Rivers States.
