The finalists of the Global Innovation Competition (GIC) organised
by Making All Voices Count (MAVC), a global initiative that supports
effective governance and accountability, are on a project-learning tour of
Ada to understand how technology is transforming governance and enhancing
citizen engagement at the local level in the country.
The 15 finalists, hosted by Penplusbytes -- a leading
organisation in deploying new digital tools for citizen engagement, were made
up of two-member teams from both Africa and Asia were taken through
Penplusbytes’ “Grassroots Open Government Using New Digital Tools” project,
which is being funded by MAVC. A total of 10 competitors will win a total of
about £600,000 in grants to support their projects, in addition to expert
mentorship.
Mr. Jerry Sam, the Director of Programmes at Penplusbytes said:
“The project has been successful in proving the concept of technology enabling
citizen participation in governance, as citizens get an opportunity to
participate in the budget monitoring and service delivery of assemblies. This
project enhances the mutual understanding between duty-bearers and the
citizens”.
Having been taken through how the project works the 15
finalists were split into 2 groups, with one group interacting with project
beneficiaries in the local communities, while the other engaged with local
authorities for a deeper understanding of how the project is being implemented
and managed.
Sharing his thoughts after the sessions, Gulbazali Khan from
Pakistan commended Penplusbytes for bridging trust levels between local people
and their government through this intervention.
“This project, in my own reflection, comes as very
commendable having been able to deploy their tools in an area that has an about-65%
illiteracy rate. That is something I would want to replicate in my country as
well,” he said.
Another participant, Eric from Kenya, described the
experience as refreshing, saying: “It feels wonderful to actually witness at
first-hand how communities and citizens interact with government authorities
for them to act on issues affecting them”.
The competitors were taken through how the project combines
both offline and especially online technology to close the feedback loop among
citizens, local government, Civil Society Organisations and service delivery
providers for effective governance.
The project, which focuses in the area of public service
delivery with particular emphasis on the Health, Education and Sanitation
sectors, is being implemented in Ada and Tamale using a collaborative and
integrated approach to promote and enhance communication and information
sharing between citizens and local government.
Ms.
Monica Nthiga, South to South Lab Manager of MAVC, said many countries of the
world have a common governance problem, and that the Global Innovation
Competition seeks to support innovation and technology that has the potential
to support better governance systems.
Penplusbytes is a not-for-profit organisation driving
change through innovations in three key areas: using new digital technologies
to enable good governance and accountability, new media and innovations, and
driving oversight for effective utilisation of mining, oil and gas revenue and
resources.
Making All Voices Count (MAVC) is a global initiative
that supports effective governance and accountability by enabling citizen
engagement and open, responsive government through GIC, and seeks to address
problems each year around the citizen-to-government relationship.
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