This action plan document outlines Sokoto State’s official commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability, and citizen participation through the Open Government Partnership (OGP) framework for the 2022–2024 period. It is the state’s first OGP State Action Plan and was developed through a multi-stakeholder process involving ministries, civil society organizations, local governments, development partners, and community representatives across the 23 local government areas.
The plan is structured around five thematic pillars: Fiscal Transparency, Access to Justice, Extractive Industry Transparency, Citizens’ Engagement and Social Inclusion, and Improved Service Delivery. Each area includes detailed commitments that address core governance gaps through practical, measurable actions and broad-based partnerships.
Under Fiscal Transparency, the state commits to increasing public participation in the budgeting process, improving revenue generation, and reforming procurement systems using Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS). The goal is to reduce waste, eliminate leakages, and ensure citizen tracking of budget implementation across sectors.
The Access to Justice component focuses on improving the promotion of human rights and the speed of justice delivery. This includes training judges, law officers, and security agencies, as well as sensitizing the public—especially traditional and religious leaders—on state laws protecting vulnerable groups from gender-based violence and abuse.
The Extractive Industry Transparency pillar aims to provide communities with greater access to information about mining and energy activities, revenue flows, and compensation mechanisms. Sokoto seeks to foster synergy between extractive companies and host communities to ensure inclusive budgeting and local development.
To deepen Citizens’ Engagement and Social Inclusion, the plan introduces a Permanent Dialogue Mechanism to support continuous feedback loops throughout the budget cycle. Activities include town halls, local planning processes, feedback systems, and inclusive platforms to reach women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
In the Improved Service Delivery area, the plan targets public sector performance across health, education, WASH, and environmental services. Strategies include revising service charters, training civil servants, establishing OGP desk offices in key ministries, and promoting citizen satisfaction through feedback tools and recognition for top-performing agencies.
The SAP is backed by a strong implementation and monitoring framework led by the Sokoto OGP Steering Committee. It incorporates funding from the state government, State2State (USAID), and other development partners to support its delivery across all 23 LGAs. Together, the commitments position Sokoto State to become a national model for inclusive, citizen-led governance reform.
