Project

Creative Communication of the Nigerian Budget

Grantee: BudgIT Information Technology Network

The goal of the project was to empower citizens with information about the budget process and public expenditure so as to increase the transparency and accountability of the Nigerian government. The project addressed a lack of easily understandable information on the national budget in Nigeria specifically the problem of public works projects that were promised but never completed. The original project strategy was to use social media to engage local community-based organizations (CBOs) to monitor the completion of mini public works. However, due to limited access to technology and low commitment by the local CBOs, the grantee instead engaged Project Tracking Officers (PTOs) who were equipped with mobile phones and technical skills to undertake project monitoring activities in each targeted community and who were accountable directly to the grantee.  Instead of working with the CBOs, the grantee decided to engage with community leaders as “champions” to involve community members in community project monitoring.

However, the broadcast television component of the project – Tracka. – had an impact. This media platform provided a tool for giving feedback to citizens and was very effective in collecting, transferring and sharing the information on the status of the public works

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Lessons from Project

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While civil society organizations are interested in budget monitoring and are seeking to build their capacities in this area, the project did not succeed in engaging them with project implementation activities with communities. However, the project did succeed in enhancing skills and capacities of the grantee. Positive outcomes for the grantee include the winning of a proposal to conduct a budget tracking activity on nutrition with UNICEF. In this way, UNDEF funds helped to enhance the grantee’s network with other UN organizations.

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High levels of illiteracy and limited English language skills amongst community members –  especially women –  created communication challenges. The printing of budget summary materials in English-only may have restricted access to most community members. To reach a wider audience translate budget data into local languages for key publications.

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Consider the views and opinions of parliamentary representatives who are championing budgetary transparency. In order to promote greater participation by legislators and policy makers, the grantee should engage more closely with the Budget Teams in Parliament to build their capacity and demystify their activities.

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Grantees should assess financial risks to the project well in advance of implementation, especially the inflation rate. In financially volatile situations, be cautious about setting very ambitious targets and instead seek to deepen rather than broaden project engagements. This is especially important for activities that involve a high level of travel and administration at field level as these costs tend to inflate the budget, lending it inadequate for the entire funding period.

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Involving the media in monitoring public works worked well. Using the media helped empower communities with simplified budget information which they used to demand accountability from their parliamentarians. The media was viewed as a key contributor of information in real time and an avenue through which budget information could be disseminated widely to a large audience.

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