*Assure govt readiness to sustain reforms
Speaking at a three-day review meeting of the State Transformation Committee (STC), and the Open Government partnership steering committee (OGP), held at Nike Lake Resort, Enugu from 25th to 27th September 2024, Secretary to the State Government, Prof Grace Umezurike said the State has gained a lot from the programmes of USAID State2State. She noted the readiness of the government to institutionalize the reforms that will further guarantee good governance and actualization of the people’s charter of needs policy of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.
The SSG, who is the Co-Chair of the State Transformation Committee (STC), also advocated for the extension of USAID State2State activities in the State to allow for more capacity building and effective ownership of the reforms that have placed the State on a global map.
Also speaking, the Principal Secretary to the Governor, Chief Mathias Adum thanked USAID State2State for their various intervention programmes, trainings and activities aimed at ensuring due process, standard and good governance as being witnessed in the priority sectors. He pledged that his office would continue to collaborate with the OGP team to achieve the objectives of State2state programmes in Ebonyi State.
In his welcome remarks, the State Team Lead of USAID State2State, Dr. Sam Onyia said the joint meeting of the STC and OGP members was to harmonize their plans and activities for a greater synergy in achieving good governance in Ebonyi State.
“We expect that at the end of this review meeting, the outcome will be a joint action plan for effective coordination and collaboration between STC and OGP towards achieving sustainable development in the State.
“The State Transformation Committee is the highest organ set up by the government and supported by State2State to coordinate governance issues, improving effectiveness, accountability and transparency, especially in priority sectors of primary health, basic education and WASH. The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is also talking about transparency and good governance. It has four thematic areas: Fiscal Transparency, Access to Information, Citizens’ Engagement, Border Peace and Conflict Management.
“So, bringing both STC and OGP together is to enhance coordination, collaboration, synergy and sustainability of these reforms. When the two bodies come together to harmonize what they are doing and have proper collaboration and coordination, the next task would be to achieve consolidation, institutionalization and proper sustainability”, he stated.
On their part, USAID State2State Communication Specialist Nneka Egbunna and the GESI Specialist Ejiro Okotie emphasized that the joint meeting would strengthen the platform for collaboration and synergy between STC and OGP members. They maintained that the two groups would jointly review the STC Reform Sustainability Plan and the OGP State Action Plan to ensure that the drivers of these reform plans are working toward the goal of inclusive good governance in Ebonyi State.
Speaking on behalf of non-State actors, the co-chair of OGP and Executive Director of DIGFoundation, Chief Oliver Aja Chima, and his counterpart in STC, Mr. Eleri Ewa who was represented by Uchenna Nnachi, said the collaboration between government and civil society organization organizations (CSOs) have been very fruitful.
They noted that the joint review meeting was an important milestone and thanked the Ebonyi State government for its commitment to implementing the reforms supported by State2State in the State. They harped on the need for greater synergy to improve on the success so far recorded through consolidation and sustainability plans.
Member of Ebonyi State Internal Revenue Service, Hon. Oliver Nwachukwu, in a vote of thanks, noted that the meeting was educative. He showered praises on USAID State2State for helping the State to digitalize effective and more transparent revenue collection in Ebonyi State.
Highlights of the three-day review meeting were the development of a joint Action Plan for the effective implementation of the STC Reform sustainability plan and the OGP State Action Plan. Others include a seven-point communiqué and recommendations on how the government can own the reforms in the State through the establishment of the State transformation office to be domiciled in the Governor’s office and to be headed by a Director in the State Civil Service.
