Yusuf Ishaku Goje
Governor Uba Sani recently signed the Kaduna Mutual Accountability Framework (KaMAF) between the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) and the Kaduna State Government.
This mutual accountability commitment and cooperation framework covering 2024-2025 aims to improve coordination and support the delivery of the State Development Plan (SDP, 2024-2028).
However of great concern is the fact that it is unclear if the SDP, reviewed to integrate the SUSTAIN Agenda of the current administration and the basis of the KaMAF, has been approved by the State Executive Council (SEC).
The approved plan is neither available on the government’s website nor in printed copies. Likewise, the Sectors’ Implementation Plans (SIPs), should be the bridge linking the annual budget and SDP.
To a sizable number of residents (citizens/CSOs) of the State, the KaMAF signing ceremony is just another government propaganda MoU signing event – the significance of which is lost on many.
Also, a lot of people are unaware that the FCDO, formerly DFID, for decades has consistently and hugely invested in supporting reforms and carrying out interventions in the State. It started during the previous administration and is sustained by the current one.
The KaMAF is a high-level mutual accountability mechanism that covers key areas of reform and engagement committed by the government and from the Donor partners to support the government’s initiatives. It is designed to monitor concrete reforms that support good governance, peace, and security, reduce poverty through human capital development, and improve economic recovery and investments in the people.
It is governed by nine principles, key among which is: transparent, citizen-oriented monitoring of development and governance benchmarks, provides accountability to the people of Kaduna State, and reinforces the reciprocal commitments of development partners and the government to improve development performance.
In alignment with the SDP, the framework has five short-term deliverables, which cover: governance, health, education, agriculture, and environment (climate change).
To achieve this, the government made eleven commitments, while the donor partners made seven. A joint mechanism is in place to monitor performance. The monitoring and review framework has been developed to track progress and performance.
A deeper look at the deliverables shows that there are commitments of the State governments and offers by the Donor that seem to strengthen transparency, accountability, and citizens’ participation.
Across the deliverables, the State government committed to increasing fiscal transparency and accountability, ensuring public participation in the development and implementation of laws and policies, and making the same publicly accessible, citizens’ freedom of speech and assembly.
The Donor on its part offered to support the coalition of CSOs to better understand public financial management and engage constructively with the government, implementation of OGP State Action Plan, publication of Citizens Accountability Reports, Citizens’ budget and debt sustainability analysis, strengthen engagement to ensure social protection accountability and inclusiveness, technical support to OGP to advocate for release and implementation of SWAp AoP, among others.
Therefore, and in conclusion, CSOs should engage the State government on the approval status of the SDP, study the KaMAF, raise public awareness of its provisions, incorporate relevant segments into their organizational projects/activities design, advocate for adherence and cash-backed budget releases, develop and deploy independent tracking tools, provide quarterly shadow reports/score-cards and advocate for adequate representation in quarterly Program Coordination and Monitoring Board, bi-annual meeting and annual Mutual Accountability Framework Donor Partner Strategic Dialogue.
Let’s engage, ask the right questions, and hold the government accountable.
Goje is an active citizen, civil society member, and OGP enthusiast
