Transparency International Charts Roadmap for its Re-engagement in Nigeria

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The Africa Department at Transparency International Secretariat (TI-S) has charted a roadmap for its re-engagement in Nigeria in collaboration with some Nigerian civil society organisations (CSOs) working on anti-corruption issues. To this end, it has produced a strategic planning document to drive the process for the next three years.

The meeting took place in Abuja on November 19 and 20, 2013 with the objective of giving TI and the Nigerian CSOs an opportunity to clarify their common vision and develop a joint strategic plan for TI’s work in Nigeria in the next three years that will add value to existing efforts.

Specifically, the meeting aimed to: define a vision, mission statement, and objectives for TI in Nigeria; identify priority areas for TI’s interventions during the next three years; break down these major areas into concrete actions to be carried out at the country level to reduce tolerance and occurrences of corruption; and identify the local organisations that will work with TI to implement the strategy and assist with mobilising the necessary resources and expertise.

It brought together representatives from Nigerian CSOs working on anti-corruption issues who had participated in previous TI consultations as well as concerned donor agencies. The meeting developed a strategic plan for the years 2014-2016 and created a list of committed local organisations that will collaborate with TI in implementing the strategic plan.

Participants, in consultation with TI agreed that the vision statement for TI Nigeria should be “A Nigeria where government, politics, business, civil society and the daily lives of people are free of corruption.”
For mission statement, they agreed on: “To advance transparency, accountability and anticorruption efforts in Nigeria.”For two days, participants exchanged experiences on tackling corruption and proposed ideas on reviving TI’s presence in Nigeria. There was a strong consensus among participants that this process should be as inclusive and transparent as possible, and that it should take into account local views.

For a seamless achievement of the vision and mission of TI Nigeria, participants were divided into four key areas of intervention for collaborative work namely advocacy, capacity building, research, and resources. Each group is a cluster and is led by an organisation. The Research cluster is led by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy (CISLAC); the Advocacy cluster is led by Media Rights Agenda (MRA); the capacity building cluster is led by Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD); while Open Society for West Africa (OSIWA) is the lead for the Resource group.

The Research Cluster is to ensure the development of a solid anti-corruption knowledge base through which people can be sensitized; the Capacity-building Cluster is to empower citizens to fight corruption; the Resources Cluster is to sustain the 2-3 year development process of TI’s agenda in Nigeria, and its implementation; while the Advocacy Cluster is to bring about an enlightened and mobilised citizenry that is engaged in the anticorruption crusade.

Participants agreed to the proposal for the establishment of a loose network to take TI’s agenda forward in the next three years; the network would eventually formalise and apply for National Chapter status.TI Secretariat plans to ride this momentum including supporting the establishment of a Nigerian secretariat to service the loose network, and monitor progress in achieving the strategic objectives agreed at the meeting.