The Kogi State Government has been commended for its commitment to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) process and for demonstrating political will in deepening transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance.
The commendation was made during the post 2025 OGP Global Summit knowledge-sharing and learning session held in Lokoja.
Co-Chair of the OGP State Steering Committee (Non-State Actors) and Executive Director of the Renaissance Care and Empowerment Foundation Amb. Idris Muraina, described the global summit as an eye-opener for the Kogi State team.
He emphasized that the concept of OGP is not meant to constrain any government but to strengthen development and promote a culture of openness, innovation, and citizen inclusion.
Muraina however stressed the need for more coordinated efforts at the state level, including the establishment of an OGP Secretariat for effective documentation system, and a feedback mechanism that allows citizens to track progress on commitments made under the State Action Plan.
Executive Director of the Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre and member of both the National and State OGP Steering Committees, Tijani Abdulkareem, commended the Kogi State Government for signing the State Action Plan and demonstrating commitment to implementing its outlined objectives.
He said the government has shown strong interest in ensuring that the state action plan is effectively implemented, particularly through engagements that allow citizens to interact with both state and non-state actors around issues of service delivery.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Initiative for Grassroots Advancement (INGRA) and Chairman KONGONET, Hamzat Aliyu, commended the Kogi State Government for sponsoring both state and non-state representatives to the OGP Global Summit in Spain.
He described the gesture as laudable and reflective of the government’s readiness to strengthen collaboration and transparency through sustained partnership with civil society.
Hamzat called for greater involvement of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure that openness and transparency become standard practices across government institutions.
The session, which brought together members of the OGP State Steering Committee, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders, focused on translating lessons from the global summit into practical local reforms that promote open governance and inclusive development.
Participants described the summit as a valuable platform for learning, collaboration, and reflection on Kogi State’s progress in implementing open government principles.
The stakeholders also expressed optimism that the knowledge gained from the global summit would help build a more open, responsive, and accountable governance system in Kogi State.
They pledged continued collaboration with government agencies to strengthen rural development, improve documentation, and advance citizen engagement across key sectors.
