Recently Nairobi hosted two pivotal events: The Open Government Partnership (OGP) Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting, and the Global Democracy Coalition (GDC) Africa Forum. These gatherings cemented the critical role of open governance and public participation in strengthening democratic innovations across the continent. Accountability Lab joined a host of governments and organisations in solidarity with Africa’s pursuit for more accountable and transparent governments. 

The OGP Regional Meeting, themed “Rebuilding Trust through Open Government,” convened government officials, civil society leaders, and private sector executives to deliberate on enhancing transparency and citizen engagement. Discussions spanned topics such as anti-corruption, digital governance, fiscal openness, and access to information, all aimed at strengthening resolve in the fight against corruption and bad governance. Complementing this, the GDC Africa Forum focused on “Advancing Democratic Resilience at the Intersection of Human Rights and Environmental Justice,” adding the flavour of intersectional challenges that confront governments across the world. The forum highlighted the interconnectedness of democratic governance, human rights, and environmental sustainability, emphasizing the necessity of inclusive and transparent governance models to address Africa’s challenges. 

Accountability Lab’s active involvement in these processes rubberstamps its mission to make governance work for the people by investing in citizens and leaders who serve as the custodians of resources critical to Africa’s socioeconomic development. The OGP Regional Meeting was premised on rebuilding trust, the cornerstone of the ‘social contract’ that citizens and their duty bearers uphold. It is trust that allows the people to be recipients of government efforts aimed at economic stability, the provision of critical welfare services, and investments that allow communities to earn a decent living. The need to make government more transparent allows the people to be more informed about how public resources are used by elected and appointed officials as trusted stewards – the selected few who represent the interests of the many. 

As Africa embraces open government commitments and related conduct, it is essential to note that the movement itself speaks louder than the Country Action Plans and signatures endorsing the Open Government Declaration. The phrase ‘open government’ was popularised in the late 1950s when post-WW2 government officials demanded more transparency and public participation in the hope of lessening government secrecy. This gave birth to the Freedom of Information Act in the US, grounded on the understanding that withholding information from the public erodes public trust and subverts the power of democratic praxis. Guided by these convictions, US President Barack Obama signed the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, ushering in a new era of open and accountable government. This was meant to deepen participation and trust between the government and its citizenry, and in so doing, sparked global discourse on the need for greater fiscal transparency and accountability in governments across the world. Today, the Open Government Partnership includes 76 countries and 106 local governments, representing more than two billion people and thousands of civil society organizations. 

In Africa, the movement is growing. Allied to this growth is the need for governments to embrace digital solutions in the exercise of government operations. This year’s focus on digital governance couldn’t be more timely. The use of AI and other emerging technologies to automate record-keeping, procurement and to combat corruption is on the rise, allowing large and often slow government processes to become nimble and efficient. Corruption has for years benefitted from the vastness and tardiness of government bureaucracy, allowing devious transactions and underhanded dealings to go unnoticed. Over time, this has created a lot of apathy and distrust in citizens who once strongly believed in the integrity of those they elected. 

Public distrust that results from the consequences of corruption has a domino effect that pours back into the economy, creating a vicious, often infectious cycle of events. In Nepal, it is stated that more than 40% of the annual GDP comes from the informal economy, and this informality is due to a lack of efficient regulation and government documentation. In Africa, the numbers are even more staggering, with Burundi’s informal sector contributing as much as 80% to the annual GDP. The nexus between informality in the economy, corruption, and the complicity of government is unmistakable. When governments are not proactive in creating pathways for formal employment while continuing to siphon funds meant to empower communities, the people lose confidence in the ability of government to make an enabling environment for them to thrive. In a bid to save themselves, citizens circumvent regulations and bypass systems meant to encourage formalization.

As democracy across Africa faces its grimmest resistance yet, open government stands out as a powerful response to a world fighting to discredit the efficacy of institutions and to silence those advocating for democratic reforms. Major funding cuts and shifting priorities are threatening to dull the cutting edge of climate change advocacy, democratization movements, and narratives supporting inclusion. In the face of this overwhelming adversity, African governments continue to fight back by choosing transparency over tyranny, and openness over opacity. 

Makomborero Muropa is Regional Programs Officer (South and East Africa), Accountability Lab

Makomborero Muropa