The Impact of COVID19 on Nigeria’s Economy

Executive Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a serious challenge to the world, necessitating countries around the world to adopt stringent measures such as complete or partial lockdowns in order to contain the spread of the disease and this has had adverse implications on national economies and rural livelihoods. The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) had to close its land, sea and air borders and implemented a total lockdown in states and cities with very high infection rates across the country.

Consequently, state governments have followed suit. These measures have had its toll on individuals, households, micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) and large corporations. In order to cushion the effect of the pandemic on the citizens, the federal government had announced a number of responses: N500 billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund, 50 billion Naira CBN intervention fund for households and MSMEs, 20,000 Naira four months conditional cash transfer to the country’s poorest, reduction in price of fertilizers as subsidy to farmers etc. 

Approvals have been granted by the National Assembly and the International Monetary Fund for Nigerian government to borrow 850 billion naira domestically and $3.4 billion respectively to help finance the 2020 budget and reduce the impact of the severe economic shock the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the Nigerian economy. Experts believe the palliative measures introduced so far by the government are not enough considering Nigeria’s estimated 200 million population. The continuous decline in oil prices which is Nigeria’s major foreign exchange earner and the subsequent dwindling of the country’s foreign exchange reserve has put the country in a very difficult economic position at this time. 

It is important for the government to diversify its MSME sector to develop in all areas of   agriculture, manufacturing, entertainment, technology and services as each of these sectors will continue to be very relevant to the overall GDP growth as well as employment generation in the country post COVID-19.

The budget should be revised downwards basing the revenue benchmarks and assumptions on realizable thresholds and estimates to ensure optimum budget performance. Government must at this time cut the cost of governance, reduce unnecessary expenditures and channel available resources into empowering MSMEs and stimulating the economy. Efforts should be made to limit importation and to encourage local manufacturing of most of the medical supplies such as facemasks, hand sanitizers, ventilators etc as to conserve our forex. The cash transfer palliative to the country’s poorest should be inclusive and there should be transparent, comprehensive and universal social protection systems to mitigate against the prevalence of poverty. 

This report analyses the implication of Nigeria’s level of preparedness to combat COVID19 on its economy; the impact of the extremely decline in oil prices, and the influence on Medium and Small Enterprises in the coming months.

Download Full Report here

https://www.connecteddevelopment.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Economic-Implications-of-COVID-19-on-the-Nigerias-Economy.pdf

Inclusive Education for Children in Marginalised Communities in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Why education should be prioritised in marginalised communities in the era of COVID19

By Blessing Akpevwe Uwisike

As of the first week of May, The Spectator Index confirmed over four million positive cases of the Corona Virus globally and at least 200,000 deaths. As the virus continues to spread its tentacles across countries, threatening human existence, human lives are being changed in unprecedented ways. As the pandemic affects nearly every sector of human interaction ranging from economic to social, health, education and commercial to mention a few; we are forced to make quick adjustments and life choices to prevent further spread.

While grappling with this new reality, a major change the world has had to make is maintaining social distance. To ensure compliance, the government at the state and federal level enforced a lockdown order where virtually all social activities came to a screeching halt. As expected, education was not excluded, giving that it became imperative to shut down education facilities across Nigeria and many other countries to prevent the pandemic from affecting children’s education and more importantly, their health. 

This move affected 1.3 billion students globally and has forced the government and members of the society to see the shortcomings of the education system in Nigeria. The most glaring of these is the unpreparedness of the system to embrace online and digital learning strategies, and if well attended to, it also gives a laser focus on specific areas of improvement and innovation.  

As COVID-19 widens the margin of education and access to the basic learning amenities, my volunteer experience with OneAfricanChild has enabled me to see first-hand, how children in low-income communities are forced to share rickety desks and uncomfortable wooden chairs, manage their very few books for many subjects, and enjoy internet connectivity/laptops only when we are able to organise our monthly digital classes. With the break of the  pandemic, their learning is currently in a state of hiatus as their main motivation is derived through the school system and informal learning opportunities we provide them. With this disruption, the children are exposed to anxiety and panic alongside learners facing similar struggles. The social skills, emotional well being and educational aspirations of these children are put on the line, worse still if they are enduring these challenging times in a community that undermines the value  of education.

Despite the world tilting towards technocracy, public schools in Nigeria are still grossly underfunded and there are no considerations for digital learning tools. At this point it is difficult to measure Nigeria’s effort towards the Education 2030 agenda aimed at “ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Several children are still learning under conditions similar to the system their parents’.  While the future of education is progressing exponentially, ours seem to be moving at a slow pace. Education in this part of the world is still largely monolithic and children are not being adequately prepared for the world they are expected to lead.

A risk factor of the pandemic is the possibility of a high school drop-out rate, especially in low-income communities. Deliberate efforts are required to reintegrate children in these communities back to school. According to the World Bank’s “Learning Poverty” indicator, the percentage of children who cannot read and understand at age 10 stood at 53% of children in low- and middle-income countries – before the outbreak. While the situation can still be salvaged, a proactive move by the government will ensure a successful transition back to formal education post COVID. 

Innovation is required to provide quality and sustainable education to learners, and teachers cannot be left behind in this campaign. Understanding that learning can happen anywhere and in different forms, teachers must be trained to embrace this new reality, and as a matter of urgency, be provided with practical materials on how to meet learners where they are. Digital skills training to make learning accessible as well as emotional intelligence and creative teaching styles workshops need to be prioritised for teachers so that they are able to create safe spaces and assume the role of mentors and guides for learners. 

This period, providing content like interactive videos, soft copy materials, class activity, and lectures on websites where teachers can easily access will help them to prepare for a robust teaching-learning experience after the pandemic is over. But while it persists, partnerships with media houses like radio and television stations, to air educational programs for primary and secondary schools like some states in Nigeria have adopted are positive steps in the right direction.

Teachers must also be made to understand the Education 2030 goals as this has not been adequately communicated to them, only when they understand it are they able to run with it and ensure its actualisation. Workshops and materials to enhance this understanding should also be provided, with realistic benchmarks set in place to achieve it.

OneAfricanChild Foundation in partnership with Learning Equality, organises digital skills training for children in select marginalised communities in Nigeria. Through Kolibri, a digital solution developed by Learning Equality to provide offline access to a variety of learning materials, we provide quality education for children in low-income  communities on a broad range of global citizenship education topics such as media literacy, internet safety, fake news spotting, and lots more. We have had virtual learning sessions with students from other countries to share knowledge and exchange experiences. This exposes learners to blended learning that combines digital skills with offline learning. With support from the government and key stakeholders, and the welcome involvement of an  NGO like Follow the Money, which focuses on tracking government spending to ensure transparency and accountability, we can successfully scale this project and double our impact. 

To further ensure inclusive education for marginalised children, learning styles need to be diversified to include project-based and personalised methods so that the children are more engaged, involved and enthusiastic to learn. Their emotional well being needs to be prioritised and the school must be a safe space for them to heal from the instabilities that came with the pandemic. 

As the world around us changes torrentially, it presents opportunities to embrace technology, innovate and improve our education system to be more sustainable and to accommodate the changes that come with this new world, together with its industrial revolution. If other sectors are constantly improving to meet up, the education sector must not be left behind, because in this space, leaders are groomed.

Health Care in Nigeria and COVID-19

A bit of a background…

Due to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic in December 2019 and its subsequent spread in Nigeria, Follow The Money initiative seeks to activate campaigns reaching out to communities in the 36 States in Nigeria and portray the poor state of our health care facilities across communities in Nigeria.

This campaign is educating people on the COVID-19 Virus and preventive measures to mitigate risks and reduce contacts. This campaign should also be able to make citizens take charge٫ in order to ensure that their immediate communities are sensitized by following the World Health Organization’s guidelines towards curbing the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Citizens taking part in this campaign will also come up with reports that discuss the state of Health Care Centers in their communities and to also take pictures٫ so the world would see the state of Health care facilities in Nigeria. 

The campaign is also calling on the government to prioritise the state of Health Care Centers, increase salaries and allowances of medical practitioners, and also provide funds meant for WASH in medical facilities and hospitals in all communities in the federation. 

This campaign focus should also be on advocating for clean water in medical facilities and rural communities. This is  because٫ one of the important measures of preventing this virus is by washing hands regularly. Without clean water٫, how do we expect people in poor medical facilities and rural communities to wash their hands regularly and also provision of soap, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and other antibacterial material to prevent people from getting the virus? 

Through this campaign, we will initiate a nationwide call on iFollowTheMoney platform to all users on the platform for improved engagement and user-friendliness of the platform. The strategy is to begin the assessment of our sustainability plan and to evaluate the level at which citizens can take ownership of the follow the money model. 

Campaign Objectives are;

1. Increase citizen participation in ensuring transparency and accountability in the health sector 
2. Educate citizens on the COVID-19 pandemic and how they prevent themselves from getting the virus 
3. Advocate for improved health care facilities and clean water, for everyone especially in the rural communities 
4. Advocate for the increase of health practitioners’ salaries٫ provide adequate materials needed for medical research, provide preventive measures for this kind of disease if it happens again 

Increase engagement and sign-ups on the iFollowTheMoney  platform

Monitoring Public Procurement Spending during the COVID-19 Outbreak

This article was culled from Open Contracting Partnership

Many governments have turned to emergency procedures, especially expedited processes or negotiated contracts. While a rapid and efficient response is paramount to ensure the well-being of all citizens, transparency is essential to maintain the quality, sustainability, and impact of these contracts.

Beyond emergency procurement for essential items, it’s also important to keep an eye on how public spending is managed generally in the midst of a crisis like this. There’s a high risk of mismanagement, corruption, and fraud in public procurement at the best of times, let alone when public attention is diverted elsewhere.

Here are some ideas for leads on investigating procurement spending in the midst of the crisis, but please bear in mind that public contracting data and documents probably only tell part of the story so you must build a more complete picture of the situation by talking to authorities and independent health and procurement experts.

Where to find procurement information 

Check your government’s online procurement platform. This index by the Open Knowledge Foundation has a run-down of resources by country. You can also check aggregated data portals like the new World Bank Global Public Procurement Database, and where available, red flagging tools such as Tenders.Guru. 

What to look for 

We have a comprehensive guide of 150 indicators of suspicious behavior in procurement. Below are some you might want to look out for when examining the COVID-19 crisis.

• Responsiveness — Look at whether tenders are advertised and contracts are signed in a timely manner. Also confirm if tenders are published for the purpose of transparency and accountability.
• Preparedness — What contracts were in place to mitigate the risk of pandemics before this outbreak took hold? 
• Inflated prices & unqualified suppliers — How do prices compare? And what is the suppliers’ history in previous emergencies?
• Rushed direct awards — Although obviously urgent, this quick spending dramatically increases the risk of corruption and mismanagement. 
• Delivery/implementation — Were the goods or services provided as promised? Cross-reference official data with interviews, photos and other materials from local civil society groups and community members who are the designated recipients.
• Fixed services — Many ongoing maintenance services will not be needed at full capacity in places where public offices, schools, and cultural venues are closed. It’s worth checking these maintenance contracts in detail to see whether the terms agreed to require the government to still pay. 

Think about how insights from procurement data could be compared with other datasets and sources. Numerous helpful resources for reporting on the outbreak have been produced by journalism organizations, including ProPublica, Global Investigative Journalism Network, the International Journalists’ Network and the Associated Press.

Key words

Apart from COVID-19 and its variations, you could search for critical items as defined by the World Health Organization and local health authorities, such as personal protective equipment or PPE, masks, ventilators, test kits, gloves, alcohol, scrubs, body bags, aprons, respirators, and other common names for medicines, health supplies and equipment. 

Some countries are using emergency funds to manage COVID-19 response spending, so you can search for budget lines related to those funds.

Look out for other goods and services that might be in demand as government services shift to remote work, and authorities introduce quarantine measures. These might include video-conferencing services, laptops, call center services, temp workers, public information websites, apps and other telecommunication services. Support services for vulnerable populations and cleaning services are worth checking too.

Keeping your information organized

Structure your information to understand what details you have and what’s missing. The Open Contracting Data Standard provides a global schema to structure the procurement information you gather throughout the investigation. Using a single identifier or ID code to bring together information on the different stages of procurement procedures — that is planning, tender, award, contract and implementation (such as payments and amendments) — enables you to track the process. The Data Standard is served by a free helpdesk and many tools to help facilitate your work.

Don’t forget the good news stories

Finally, procuring essential services and goods such as testing kits and masks is an important service powered by many dedicated procurement professionals in the government, who are working under immense pressure to support everyone. So a big shout out where things are going well is an important part of the story too. Sharing solutions goes a long way to building trust in uncertain times and reminds readers that the actions we choose to take can make all difference.

The #30BillionChallenge

The Nigerian extractive sector is plagued with a lack of transparency resulting in the vulnerability of the sector to bad dealings and illicit financial transactions. A consequence of this is a huge loss of revenues for the Nigerian government. This lack of transparency, compounded with weak governance, regulatory frameworks, and rule of law, allows Oil and Gas companies, as well as other major players in the sector, operate in an unaccountable manner, abuse human rights, partake in illicit financial flows and exploit the fragility phenomenon in many oil-producing communities. 

The situation is further worsened by “shadow” multinational oil companies which operate in Nigeria but are not registered by law and who exploit Nigeria’s fragile and corrupt context, including its weak regulatory framework to perpetuate their illegality, evade tax obligations and avoid accountability, which constitutes oil theft.

NEITI reports that about $4.2 billion is lost annually to crude and product losses resulting from stealing, process lapses and pipeline vandalism. This means that from 2013 to date, approximately $30 billion has been lost to oil theft.

The OXFAM Conflict and Fragility has launched a competition tagged the 30 Billion Challenge. The competition requires that participants write a short essay or create videos explaining how this fund would have been better utilised in their communities.

Winner stands the chance of winning N200,000 worth of prizes.

Email admin@connecteddevelopment.org for more enquiries.

COVID19: Regaining Citizen’s Trust through Strategic Communications

by Kevwe Oghide

Citizens distrust in Nigerian government spans two decades and continues to hit a downward slope. At a time, some of the measures of trust or distrust in government were corruption, inequality and poor economic performance. Today, trust is also measured based on lack of transparency, exclusion of citizens from governance and poor communication.

Trust matters for many reasons, not only because a disconnect between promises and lived experiences can result in a vicious circle, government’s initiatives cannot function without the support of citizens.

Today, the world is shaken by the effect of the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), which first broke out in China late December and has spread to over 200 counties with over 2,729,274 confirmed cases, and 191,614 deaths, according to the John Hopkins University COVID19 dashboard. A crisis that was initially termed an epidemic in China has now become a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

As the world grapples with the accelerating spread of the pandemic, WHO predicts that Africa may yet be the worst hit by this disease. It urges the region to “wake up to the increasing threat and prepare for a worst-case scenario. In Nigeria, the number of confirmed cases rose by 340% in a week and currently stands at 981 confirmed cases as at the time of writing this article.

In a country where people are discontent with the economy and governance structure, predictions like this increase citizens’ concern for the inability of the current failing health structure in the nation to sufficiently combat a pandemic of this kind. Frankly, Nigeria’s already ailing health system coupled with poor data and statistical capacity, will likely be overwhelmed with the lethality of COVID-19. Multiple factors can weaken the effectiveness of Government responses to a pandemic of this kind — the vulnerability of Nigeria’s healthcare system; low human capital; the use of outdated equipment, the lack of standard facilities and weak supply chains.

At the heart of building trust is the process of communications. The Nigerian government currently battles poor communication of decisions; poor aggregation of donations and interventions received, which is fuelling fake news and other issues. If implemented properly, strategic communications play a significant role in increasing the government’s credibility among citizens even at this crucial time.

Reading through posts on Facebook and Twitter, one can literally feel the apprehension of Nigerians as they call out public institutions and the Nigerian government to adequately communicate updates and decisions that are being taken to address the health crisis and measures that are implemented to provide relief and palliatives for the vulnerable groups. A decline in trust at this time can lead to possible chaos and lawlessness, as reported in some parts of the country.

Although effective communication (using all available channels) does not automatically rectify years of mistrust or excuse poor service delivery, it however, provides an opportunity for the government to apply the principles of transparency, accountability and inclusive governance.

Understandably, the Nigerian government is under extreme pressure with the strain of COVID19 and the impact on people, the economy and the society in general. With the growing difficulty to manage public expectations, interactions with citizens can help the government identify concerns, allay fears and assure people of its approach to fight COVID-19.

A wide population of Nigerians who are largely offline (and are less informed) are increasingly skeptical of the government. So, in the face of this growing mistrust among the citizenry, what can government institutions do? Creating a more truth-based, fact-driven, unprejudiced media to curtail fake-news is key, tackling misconceptions and breaking down social media echo chambers; engaging Communications and PR Specialists at this time to strategise means of reaching grassroots people and sensitize them in local dialects on their role in staying safe and following government directives are also plausible.

Government institutions must also look inward to what it controls — its programs, its people, and its processes. That is where strategic communications can play a narrow, but impactful role in building credibility. Enhancing transparency may mean changing the structure and composition of the communications function; providing expanded information and establishing more interactive engagement to reach ‘online and offline’ people and share the institution’s broad strategy to tackling the pandemic. Also, inviting Civil Society Groups to monitor implementation of funds and interventions can increase credibility. #FollowTheMoney, a social accountability initiative is at the forefront, urging the government to be more responsive to citizens’ request for it to aggregate COVID19 data, and consistently publish information to curtail fake news.

Open the Government’s 2018 research shows that majority of citizens want to see more authenticity and transparency in public institutions. Today, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, the Federal Ministry of Health and other government departments and agencies have enormous choices than ever before to reach their target audience, gain traction in their efforts to drive positive change, enhance public awareness and improve public perception of their institutions.

It may not be a total cure; communicating effectively offers a glimmer of hope against the flood of public mistrust. Specifically, web, database, and mobile technologies can allow government to be more transparent, to better engage with stakeholders, and to drive greater awareness of mission impact. In conjunction, transparency and accountability fuelled by strategic communications have the possibility of opening the Nigerian government up to greater public understanding and appreciation.

Public Administration and the Golden Question

By Tosan Begho

 Imagine a world where the government of a state cannot be held responsible for their actions, a world where due process is absent, a world where laws are not implemented and executed properly. The list goes on, but for us to fully understand the importance and benefits of Public Administration and answer the question “Why Study Public Administration?” you have to define the term.

 The word Public Administration is very often used but very difficult to define, this is because the boundaries of the field have never been delimited. According to Hodgson 1969 Public AdministraWhy Study Public Administration? The Golden Question.tion comprises all activities of people or groups in government or their agencies whether these organizations are international, regional or local in their scope; to fulfil the purposes of these government agencies. This definition shows that Public Administration is government in action, it is concerned with the executive, operative and the most obvious part of government which deals with the formulation and enforcement of public policies. Government cannot exist without administrative machineries for implementing public policies.

 Now that you have a fair idea of the concept of Public Administration, the question still stands “Why should you study the course?” or “What jobs can you end up having?”, well let me share a quick story; you see Public Administration wasn’t my first choice initially, it wasn’t even part of my top 5 courses (and now you might be thinking so why write this article), I was part of those asking “what does an Administrator do, what jobs can I get after this, why am I studying this course” but by my 200L I was in awe of the course, a course so broad and versatile that gave a detailed insight to so many other courses, I found myself studying Accounting courses, Economics, Social Psychology, Social works, Customer Relations Management, Human Relations and Personnel Management, International Relations and so many others all under Public Administration, already these courses gives you an advantage of having variety of jobs to apply for and also a variety of  professional courses to enroll in to add a boost to your CV which you will already have intermediate knowledge of. Amazing right!

 Now it’s time for some of the attractive benefits and jobs available to an Administrator

• Ability to work/manage people: Implementing programs and managing the people who are involved (Managerial Position)Chance to hold important government positions: Some of  the most important government officials followed a career in Public Administration (Cabinet Member, Working with the United Nations, State Governors)
• Make an impact on your government: You can do this by holding the power to implement or recommend programs and also having the ability to make direct impact on your local, state and federal government
• Chance to hold a position in the news and entertainment field: Political analysts for major news networks often pursued careers in Public Administration which helps them understand the political system and provide analyses of the situations.
• Serve as consultants: Many Public Administration professionals can go into consulting and make policy and procedural recommendations for meeting budgets, deadlines, etc.
•  Specific job titles include: Customs Inspector, Labour Management Relations Specialist, Mediator, Systems Analyst, Civil Servant, Foreign Affairs and International Policy Operations.

To conclude this article I will like to take you back to the beginning and ask once more for you to “imagine a world where the government of a state can’t be held responsible for their actions, a world where due process is absent, a world where laws are not implemented and executed properly”, well a world like that needs an Administrator and that alone shows enough importance to study Public Administration.

Virtual Press Conference 

LAUNCH OF A PAN-AFRICAN CAMPAIGN TO TRACK FUNDINGS FOR ALL COVID19 INTERVENTIONS IN AFRICA

Geared towards advocating for transparency and accountability, Follow The Money; Africa’s leading social accountability initiative, has launched a Pan-African Campaign called theCOVID19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP) to effectively track spending of all COVID-19 Donations in 7 African Countries.

As nations of the world tackle the plague of Coronavirus, with funding for African countries amassing in millions of dollars, it has become expedient to demand accountable spending of the money to block financial leakages, ensure funds do not end up in personal pockets and ultimately advocate for an improved healthcare system in the continent. CTAP is an initiative that seeks to advocate for proper accountability and transparency of funding, interventions and finances targeted at combatingCOVID-19.

Through CTAP, Follow the Money seeks to

•  Track all donations and contributions by the Government, the InternationalCommunities, Local Organisations, Philanthropists, and supporters.
• Ensure judicious use of funds and blocking financial leakages.
• Visualize and publicize all expenditures ofCOVID19 as a way to promote transparency.
• Advocate for compliance with international best standards and practices and holding government institutions accountable to all stakeholders.

The CTAP believes that response to pandemics should prioritize the participation of the affected communities at all stages, including needs assessments and provision of palliatives procurement and delivery of items, program reviews, and evaluations, etc.

Recall CODE had urged theMinistry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, and the National Centre forDisease Control (NCDC) in Nigeria to aggregate and centralise data on all contributions and donations. This is an important approach to quenching fake news that may be intended to sway citizens against the government.

Follow The Money will pursue accurate dissemination of information to avoid fake news and misinformation. The team across the 7 African countries will mobilize community-driven interventions through a special COVID19 Community ResponseToolkit.

• Open contracting approach to regulate and monitor emergency COVID-19 procurement in various countries
• Create an online public repository of received funding, sources, amount, area of intervention and other relevant information.
• Ensure that emergency procurement have a structured reporting framework for all signed and concluded contracts be made public
• Ensure and establish a framework while collaborating with businesses and CSOs to establish real-time procurement monitoring.

In Nigeria (through CODE), Follow The Money is mobilizing over 6000 citizens on its social accountability platform www.ifollowthemoney.org, to advocate strongly for improved health-care facilities for all. It is also building their capacity through an online radio and webinar as well as providing them with tools to monitor, drive conversation to spark actions and advocate for a transparent and inclusive approach, urging government stakeholders to make public all funds released for the fight against COVID-19 and its implementation plans.

Follow The Money team, under Gambia Participates, is building a geolocation technology map for tracking COVID19 cases in the Gambia. The team is tackling government secrecy and researching on all funds and interventions the Government of the Gambia has received in the fight against CoVID19.

In Zimbabwe, the Follow The Money team under the Magamba Network has launched a Coronavirus tracker powered by Open Parly ZW that visualizes data about the pandemic in Zimbabwe. The tracker allows you to use your Google maps to see if you have been in a place where aCOVID 19 patient has been flagged. The data is from the Ministry of Health and is updated daily according to the latest stats. Data is aggregated according to gender, province, and source of transmission (ie. Travel, Local, etc) on cpovidzw.info.

Follow The Money, Liberia under the InspireLiberia Project, is actively tracking funding and participating in the WaterSanitation and Hygiene Intervention (WASH) COVID19 Response; monitoring ands upervising the adherence to health protocols put in place by the Government ofLiberia

Follow the Money, Kenya under the SlumsInformation Development & Resource Center (SIDREC) is engaging in civic education on plans/budgets set to combat COVID19, through the CSO COVID19 rapid response platform (http://CSOCOVID19rapidresponse.discussion.community)social media engagement, via a tweet chat platform called #KeBudgetTalk and also through a community radio station 99.9 Ghetto FM which broadcasts to one of the major slums in Nairobi. FTM Kenya also visualizes COVID19 funds allocation data to encourage citizens to assume an oversight role for public finances.

Follow the Money Malawi has started following up and tracking on money that was disbursed for COVID19 in Zomba, one of Malawi’s districts. The team is mobilizing and training CSOs on tracking funds disbursed, mining data for funds and developing a system where citizens can whistle-blow on misused funds.

In Cameroon, Follow The Money is tracking the proper dissemination of material support in terms of medical supply to practitioners across the country and food supply to marginalized communities during the lockdown. It is also working to visualize COVID19interventions and mobilize citizens to demand accountability from government institutions working to curb the pandemic.

The common challenge these countries face is poor access to information, secrecy in government and poor accountability. Now more than ever, the Follow The Money initiative in these countries are aligning in their mission to hold their respective governments to account, so that all interventions and funds can be put to proper use. The team is mobilizing citizens for social change, countering fake news and misinformation while using digital tools to engage with government accountability issues. We must be alert and seek for government, agencies and institutions to be transparent and provide civil society groups and the media acting as watchdogs in this crucial time with accurate and timely information.

While we commend theInternational Monetary Fund for granting debt relief to 25 African countries,CODE uses this opportunity to also urge the World Bank, the Chinese Government and other international bodies to toe the line of the IMF and grant debt reliefs to other African countries. This relief can position Africa to support itself as it battles COVID19.

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