Only 10 to 15 percent of Nigerian roads are paved, internet access is limited to 11 percent of the population, and most of the country has electricity a few hours per day at most. Persistent underdevelopment is coupled with growing poverty. Although the country’s GDP has grown at 7.6 percent annually, on average, in recent years, poverty in the country has increased. Between 2004 and 2010, relative poverty in Nigeria increased from 54.4 to 69 percent. In parts of the Niger Delta, a region which generates most of the country’s oil revenues, that figure has increased to over 70 percent.

So we asked…

How can we empower citizens to improve the performance and accountability of their institutions of governance?

We explored this question over several months of design research investigations across all levels of civil society and government, and around the country. We spoke with hundreds of respondents in urban, rural, and remote areas. We researched sectors as diverse as agriculture, education, health, and infrastructure on topics including public financial management and public service delivery.

We found that…

There are numerous opportunities for enhancing citizens’ influence in public spending and service delivery.

We can leverage technology to enhance the ability of communities to report public service challenges and to make their demands more visible. We can improve the efficacy of local advocacy groups to ensure their campaigns are evidence-based and politically salient. We can work with media outlets to produce high quality and informative content on government performance. We can support citizen reporting to improve the accountability of elections. And we can directly engage the state at all levels to develop processes to ensure public spending aligns with public interests.

And here’s what we’re doing about it…

We are working to design, implement, manage, and monitor a series of good governance initiatives for improving collective action between citizens and the state. We are doing so in collaboration with the World Bank, the Government of Nigeria, and several local partners: budget monitoring activists, farmers’ associations, radio stations, good governance NGOs, technology shops, and accounting firms. Our portfolio is constantly evolving as our work yields new opportunities. Currently we are:

1. Deploying a mobile SMS-based citizen feedback tool to monitor public service quality

2. Piloting processes to improve the accountability of the state uses of public funds

3. Enabling informed civic discussion of government performance through broadcast media programs and online dialogue

4. Addressing the political, social, and economic factors affecting teacher performance

5. Refining citizen monitoring tools and new media analysis platforms to improve the accountability of elections