Citizen Engagement a Game Changer for Development at the Grassroots

EngagingEngaging Citizen: A Game Changer for Development.

Citizen Engagement As a Catalyst for Development at the Grassroots

Mobilizing Citizens for Accountability and Service Delivery

Ensuring budgets and constituency funds monitoring and accountability programming for governance to provide a

platform whereby citizens and their elected representatives can have interface by the way of community meetings tagged

"Constituency Cultivation"

Multi-Stakeholders Engagements

Different like-minded community-based-organizations (CBOs) such as women/youth/farmers/ groups from different localities can come together under a large umbrella to form a coalition to ensure good governance to monitor the implementation of development projects in their localities.

Engaging Government for Good Governance

The most common participatory mechanism is the large group format, Nabatchi in Public Administration Review 2012.

The larger coalition, comprising of representatives of the CBOs can coordinate/plan engagements with their elected public officials in government to ensure the provision of basic Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects.

This coalition would be better if led and/or facilitated by a non-governmental-organization (NGO) with experts in the development field.

Engaging Government for Good Governance (continue)

● The NGO can help the coalition in areas like training, leadership, direction and sustainability of the coalition so that they continue to take ownership of the engagement initiatives in their respective localities.


The NGO can also help in areas like: Coalition Building, Agenda Setting Needs and Baseline Assessment Participatory Appraisal Community Resource Mapping and Ranking Evidence-Based-Advocacy and Lobbying Citizen Engagement, Budgeting Cycle and

Monitoring Community mobilization, information

management


To engage the government in service delivery, members of the coalition and affiliated CBOs at all times need to be mindful of latest

news from the government that relate to projects budgeted for or approved by their government.

They can take the initiative by obtaining budget copies and writing letters to the government expressing their appreciation for the

projects approval and looking forward to their fruitful implementation


The coalition in different localities can organize local forums and invite elected officials where issues regarding the provision of

developmental projects and raised. They can also remind them of their promises and commitments to the items in the signed “Social

Contracts” while seeking office.


Participatory budgeting allows for local residents rights to participate in local budget planning, Lim Jong-Dae 2009

These engagements are effective by : * Giving citizens the chance to add their voice towards their

development. * Enabling elected official the chance to get feedback from the citizen

(feel the pulse) on developmental issues * Gathering data by all.

Tools for Citizens/Govenrment Engagement

The tools are information sources and objects for evidence-based-advocacy in engaging the elected government representativesThe tools that can be used to reach engagement objectives are administrative documents, government gazettes, pictures, budget documents, newspapers, coalition newsletters and communiques and letters.

Indicators of Citizens Engagement's Success

The indicators can be used to measure the outcomes and impacts of the engagement. They can be data show the differences in the changes or milestones that happened after the initiative.

Evaluation should be patient focused- Engaging with Impact 2009 pg 59) .The NGO, government and the coalition/citizen should evaluate the performances or provision of development projects in their communities. The success will eventually encourage the sustainability of the initiative.

Citizen Engagement: A Game Changer for Development.

Thank you. Adedoyin Idowu.

Citizen Engagement a Game Changer for Development at the Grassroots

Government & Nonprofit