The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), a non-governmental organization, has organized a one-day training in Kano for Kano-based journalists and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to enhance their capacity to promote transparency and accountability in constituency project service delivery.
In his opening remarks on Monday, Dr Zikrullah Ibrahim emphasized that the aim of the training was to equip relevant stakeholders with information on constituency projects to ensure effective delivery of critical social services, especially in relation to constituency projects.
“Journalists and CSOs need to work closely by shining a spotlight on the activities of the government, especially programs on which the government expends public funds,” he explained.
The Director, represented by the Programs and Communication Manager of the NGO, Mr Armsfree Ajanaku, solicited for a synergy between the media and other stakeholders, emphasizing that this will result in mass coverage and information dissemination to reduce corruption.
Ibrahim added that the accountability skills and capacities of media and CSOs must be enhanced to face serious challenges posed by the lack of transparent and accountable governance.
The Executive Director commended the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for its consistent efforts to track constituency projects, empowering citizens by publishing project details on its website, and empaneling a team of expert trackers to archive the set goals.
In their separate presentations, two female journalists, Bilkisu Zango and Khadija Bawas, highlighted the need for the media to change strategies in advocating for transparency and accountability. Bawas called on media and CSOs to leverage convergence in the media ecosystem for constituency project reporting.
Zango also tasked stakeholders on best practices for promoting gender and social inclusion in constituency project reporting.
Some of the participants pledged to promote accountability in constituency projects through reportage.
The training, which took place at Mambayya House in Kano, was attended by about 35 journalists and civil society organizations. It was tagged “Fostering Transparency and Accountability in Constituency Project Delivery in Kano State
