In assuming the presidency of the country,
His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, fashioned and
expressed his commitment to promote democracy, pluralism and
the rule of law during his tenure of office. This he said
could be most effectively achieved through effective
communication between the government and the people. The
President therefore initiated the Open Government Initiative
[OGI] as an open channel of communication between the
government and the people linked to the platform of the
three branches of government including the
Executive, Legislative and the Judiciary.
Open Government Initiative [OGI]
has over the years been effectively carrying out the
Presidents mandate of enhancing the dissemination of
information thus promoting good governance, standards of
accountability transparency and zero tolerance for
corruption in public life through the facilitation of town
hall meetings. These meetings have been engaging government
functionaries involving the H.E President Koroma, the Vice
President, Parliamentarian, Ministers, top Public Servants,
the Judiciary including the Justice Sector Wide Approach in
the one hand and the public in the other hand in dialogue
sessions and “Have Your Say in Governance” programmes on
National/Community radio and Television. The conduct of
these activities could not have succeeded without the active
and committed participation of the civil Society
Organizations which had been assiduously working in
collaboration with OGI in every district across the country.
In compliance with the
President’s mandate of accelerating the dissemination of
information, OGI will be facilitating a one day “Bringing
the people to the law makers (Parliamentarians) confab”
for both the government and the people to interact on issues
of development and improved relationships between them. The
confab will attract one representative from each of the 149
chiefdoms in the country. Also in attendance will be the
Chairmen/Mayors of the nineteen Councils, CSO, Media
representatives from each district and other relevant
stakeholders to interface with their elected
representatives.
Although over nineteen town
hall meetings have so far being conducted including
“taking the Parliamentarians and Councillors to the people”,
OGI is yet to replicate these Parliamentarians and Local
council meetings in every district. “Bringing the people to
the government” this time round, will create the opportunity
and forum for a broader participation. The session will
focus on enhancing public understanding of the roles and
responsibilities of parliamentarians’ vis-à-vis the
councils. The forum will provide opportunity for
participants to ask pertinent questions to their elected
representatives bordering the development of their
respective communities and the nation. Parliamentarians,
Chairmen/Mayors will be given time to respond to the issues
raised. The programme will receive wide coverage by both the
print and the electronic including live TV coverage to
enable the wider public to view and participate.
Transport will be provided to
convey all participants to Freetown and will be provided
with two days accommodation/lodging and expected to be
conveyed back to their respective destinations the following
day after the meeting. The selection criteria of chiefdom
representatives shall be done by a team of OGI staff in
collaboration with the district civil society organizations
to ensure a very fair representation and participation.
In a bid to further enhance
and show case the work of OGI, funds were solicited from the
Hon. Vice President on behalf of the CSO’s for the
preparation and erection of OGI non- commercial Billboards
in all the districts in the country. Billboards are a highly
effective advertising strategy. When placed along high ways,
inter-district/regional and busy down town streets,
billboards use witty slogans and eye-catching images to
attract the attention of drivers and to passing pedestrians.
Billboards are large outdoor advertising structures
typically found in high traffic areas showing large
ostensibly lucid slogan and distinctive visuals as they
command high density consumer exposure and reaches its
audience in big ways with simple, direct messages.
OGI/ CSO partners in the
districts have prepared and mounted OGI billboards in their
respective districts and their formal launching is deemed
pertinent to acknowledge the Initiative/CSO collaborative
partnership. It is on this premise that OGI staff, the
Chairman of the CSO/UNDP forum, media representatives and
the based CSOs in the district and other stakeholders will
formally launched these billboards in their respective
districts.
Open Government Initiative (OGI)
bill boards are Non-commercial advertisement, and shall be
used to further popularize OGI and its activities and to
cement the communication gap between the citizens and their
elected representatives.
The focus of the project
therefore, is to increase the accountability and
transparency of the targeted branches of government by
enhancing the visibility of these institutions. It also
fosters a two-way communication standard that brings the
government and the citizens into close civic relationship
with direct interpersonal and mass media means of promoting
open government through dialogue within the governance
structure. The actions of OGI therefore demonstrates
participatory and collaborative good governance clearly
exhibiting tenets of transparency with strict adherence to
the President’s mandate of improving and promoting open
communication between the government and the people.
Field Trip objectives
The objectives of the trip
include but not limited to the following:
Enhance the relationship
between our elected representatives, constituents and
wards.
Enhance the level of
understanding of citizens on the roles and
responsibilities of parliamentarians and their
councillors.
Increased public knowledge
about the operations of OGI.
To give citizens the
opportunity to view these billboards for themselves with
the aim of promoting and supporting development in all the
14 districts.
To ensure citizens
participation in governance and solicit their views about
how they want to be represented.
To improve and enhance
transparency and accountability
To promote communication
and common understanding between the government and the
people.
Field Trip Goal
Foster civic responsibility
and enhance active citizenry participation in governance for
the overall social-economic development of the districts and
the nation at large.
Below is an example of the
inscribed words already written on the OGI Bill Boards all
over the 14 district in the country.
Khadija Sesay
Director-OGI
OPEN GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE (OGI)
PRESIDENTIAL MANDATE
BRINGING
GOVERNMENT CLOSER TO THE PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE CLOSER TO
GOVERNMENT
FOR TRANSPARENCY,
ACCOUNTABILITY, PARTICIPATION AND GOOD GOVERNANCE
