Summary
The Deepening Accountability and Strengthening Inclusion (DASI) project builds and expands on previous work by SDN to increase political participation and representation by women and young people in Rivers State in the run up to 2023 elections, and secure policy commitments and actions by political aspirants, representatives, and political parties in response to the demands of women and young people. The DASI project (post-election) seeks to initiate a sustained process of accountability between citizens and political representatives in implementation of policy demands in Rivers State that will:
- Increase the representation and inclusion of historically excluded groups (women and youth including PwDs) in public spaces.
- Support more active participation by citizens and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in engaging with office holders and ensuring that policy priorities in the Women and Youth Agenda are acted upon.
This new phase of the project will involve 48 selected WeYOU Ambassadors and 32 representatives from civil society and organised private sector to follow-up on commitments made by elected candidates and policy demands contained in the Women and Youth Agenda. The Women and Youth Agenda is a charter of policy demands covering thematic areas such as the economy, environment, security and inclusion in governance processes – the agenda’s demands were generated through consultations in 24 communities and validated by civil society organisations.
The project will support WeYOU Ambassadors, CSOs and private sector representatives to engage with political office holders to fulfil policy priorities contained in the Women and Youth Agenda. Some of these demands are:
(i) Legislation to achieve representation of women in elected and appointed positions of at least 35 per cent; Drafting and Adoption of the Rivers State Gender Policy (Context- we are drafting the Rivers State Gender Policy by adapting some sections in the National Gender Policy and other related policies in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Ministry of Justice as well as Women Rights CSOs. This will be driven by the Commissioner of Women Affairs)
(ii) Adoption of the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition), 2018 by the Rivers State House of Assembly; Review the Rivers State Disability Welfare Enhancement Law (2011) and push for its amendment.
(iii) Review and implementation of the Youth Policy in Rivers State, this will build on existing work to draft a youth policy document with Civil Society Groups and the Rivers State Ministry of Youth Development.
(iv) Ensure tax accountability through pushing for transparency in the use of public funds and advocate for the harmonisation of multiple taxes in order to facilitate ease of doing business, especially in sectors dominated by women and young people thereby strengthening the social contract.
Aims
The goal of the Deepening Accountability and Strengthening Inclusion (DASI) Project is to further contribute to accountable, responsive and inclusive governance in the Niger Delta following the 2023 elections.
Context
Young people, women and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) have historically been marginalised in the Niger Delta, both economically and politically, and remain under-represented in political decision-making. Relatedly, there are few mechanisms providing voice to these groups and supporting them to hold elected decision-makers to account. The 2023 general elections demonstrated high-levels of enthusiasm for meaningful political engagement among women and youth populations and reflected their desire for a more inclusive and democratic process. It behoves civil society actors to build on the momentum from the election to drive this change through targeted policy engagements and interventions. Post-election governance processes will need more representation of these groups to ensure that citizens can mobilise support and hold elected public leaders and institutions accountable for development priorities and policy demands.
The post-election environment in Rivers State remains dynamic and challenging. There have been limited coordinated efforts by citizens to enforce a mechanism of political accountability from elected leaders to fulfil their manifesto commitments and respond to citizen’s demands. This short- term project will attempt to address this gap and galvanise public support to push for the policy demands in the Women and Youth Agenda.
Funder
Partner
