Issue
Funds and other economic support disbursed by the Nigerian Government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic require the highest levels of transparency and accountability.
How we are helping
This project will contribute to government efforts to promote transparency and accountability by assessing compliance with existing frameworks, raising public awareness about Covid-19 funds, and making recommendations for enhanced transparency and accountability.
About the project
In March 2020, the Government of Nigeria set up the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 to oversee the national public health response to the pandemic, coordinated by the Covid-19 Emergency Operations Centre at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The government has developed the Framework for the Management of Covid-19 Funds, and protocols to guide government spending, in recognition of public expectations that economic support in response to the pandemic should be managed in a transparent and accountable manner.
This project aims to improve transparency and accountability in Covid-19 spending and to empower civil society to advocate in this regard.
This will be achieved by:
- raising public awareness about Covid-19 expenditure and transparency frameworks
- mobilising and supporting civil society to advocate for greater transparency and accountability in Covid-19 spending; this will include filing freedom of information requests to access data relating to Covid-19 spending
- publishing a report on compliance of Covid-19 expenditure with existing transparency and accountability frameworks; findings from the report and recommendations will inform advocacy work
- engaging in dialogue with oversight bodies, including the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) and Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), on Covid-19 spending for greater accountability
- carrying out research on the gendered impact of Covid-19 responses within the scope of the project’s focus
Project Partners
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) was established in 2004 in Nigeria as a non-profit, nonpartisan, legal and advocacy group devoted to promoting transparency, accountability, and respect for socio-economic rights through research, media advocacy, government engagement and awareness raising. The organisation works in close collaboration with civil society and government bodies, including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) of Nigeria. SERAP serves as one of two Sub-Saharan African civil society representatives on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) Coalition and has observer status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
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