DEAN Initiative hosted workshop with heads of Information units from 6 Area Councils in Abuja and OpenGov Student Fellows to improve public access to government budgets and foster transparency.
Local Government budgets are more than just numbers; they represent the financial blueprint of local government priorities and expenditures enabling citizens to have access as they are directly affected by the local government decisions. However, accessing these crucial documents has often been a challenge for the general public, especially local communities who are eager to understand how budgetary allocations are expended.
We hosted the head of Information units from the 6 Area Councils in Abuja for a workshop and important knowledge-sharing session focused on improving public access to government budgets, to foster transparency and accountability, highlighting the critical role these documents play in financial governance and civic engagement.
The session which also brought together the OpenGov Student Fellows from the University of Abuja to interface with the head of information unit as they look deep down at the role of public access to budget of each area council and how they affect citizens directly.
The discussion kicked off with a look at existing channels through which the public can access budget information, which include social media, government websites, public libraries, and government offices as identified by Taiye Ojo.
He also encouraged the Information Officers to promote these avenues actively using their roles.
Despite the availability of these platforms, several barriers affect access to information within local communities and were highlighted.
The digital gap between local communities and their local government was also noted as a significant issue, with some communities lacking the necessary online access.
Several practical recommendations were proposed in the course of the workshop:
Capacity development for local communities
2. Increased community sensitizations and educational initiatives
3. Including community workshops and school programs
4. Enhancing understanding and awareness amomg citizens
Furthermore, improving digital infrastructure and providing training in digital literacy were identified as essential steps to bridge the gap for local grassroots communities.
The session concluded with a strong commitment to collaboration between the Student Fellows and Area Councils and Information Officers who provided strategies to access the budgets for each Area Councils. Feedback was shared on the effectiveness of knowledge sharing sessions and how they tend to improve the capacity of local communities indirectly, ensuring that budget information becomes more accessible and understandable for everyone.
This knowledge-sharing session marked a significant approach toward making government budgets more accessible, particularly for the Student Fellows and also local communities in Abuja.