U.S GROUP JOINS ANTI-GRAFT WAR IN NIGERIA

United States , US, civil society group, PACT says freedom of and access to information are the cornerstones to any strategically planed anti-corruption campaign.

Programme Co-ordinator of PACT Nigeria, Ekanem Bassey, said in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, last week that it is precisely in recognition of this truism that Pact Nigeria supports civil society organizations to develop an effective anti corruption strategy and to increase their effective advocacy for key policy reforms, especially in the areas of budget transparency, access to information, and judicial oversight.  

''Pact Nigeria/Advance anti-corruption program has two major components: the ongoing legislative efforts to pass key policy reform bills, and a media strengthening effort for effective reporting'', she said.

Established in 2005, PACT Nigeria is part of PACT– a networked global organization that builds the capacity of local leaders and organizations to meet pressing social needs in dozens of countries around the world. Our work is firmly rooted in the belief that local communities must be the driving force in ending poverty and injustice.

Pact has extensive experience in supporting civil society and government institutions through building institutional capacity, information management, advocacy campaigns, and policy dialogue with relevant government officials. These projects have been financed by the US Government and other donors such as the World Bank, DFID, Sida, and the EU and Global Fund, and have focused in the areas of advocacy, organizational capacity building, increasing public participation with parliament, and anti-corruption.

Pact Nigeria has a holistic program approach that builds upon lessons learned from past democracy and governance programs implemented in Nigeria, as well as the momentum from recent anti-corruption efforts in the country. ADVANCE implementation consists of mutually reinforcing activities – in CSO institutional strengthening, capacity building for advocacy for good governance and civic engagement.

The ADVANCE program is guided by a number of principles that reflect an understanding of the Nigerian context and provide parameters within which program implementation is flexible in adapting the dynamic political environment of Nigeria:

·    Local partnership is essential for the effectiveness, sustainability, and legacy of program activities

·    Reduced corruption can best be achieved by building democratic structures and processes that foster transparency and accountability

·     Coalitions of organizations with common advocacy priorities are the most effective means for impact at the national level

·     The most effective approach to building advocacy capacity is applied learning

·     Capacity building will be most effective if provided to 6 – 10 organizations over the five-year program

·     Advocacy will be conducted by the Strategic CSO partners

·   Partnering with government on anti-corruption initiatives must focus on institutionalizing participatory processes for sustained engagement

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