“Democratic participation is not meant for CSOs, activists, or the media. Every single person needs to be involved. #GetInvolved.” – Oluseun Onigbinde, BudgIT’s Global Director.

Democracy thrives when every citizen actively participates. This involvement can take many forms, from voting in elections to engaging in community discussions and holding public officials accountable. When only a few voices are heard, the democratic process is weakened, and the interests of the broader population may not be adequately represented. 

BudgIT, Africa’s Leading Civic Tech Organisation, has developed tools to facilitate this type of inclusive participation. This innovative tool will keep you informed about government spending and its impact on our communities. Here’s a closer look at some of BudgIT’s essential civic tech tools designed to help citizens get involved and hold their governments accountable.

• Tracka Mobile App

The Tracka Mobile App, available on the IOS and Android playstore enables one to report and monitor projects in their community, ensuring project execution accountability. So, if your community has a need—road, school, water, primary health center—you would like the government to attend to, you can submit it on the Tracka Mobile App and get it to your elected leaders to take action. Here are some easy steps.

• Tracka Website 

Tracka’s website, www.tracka.ng shows you all the projects allocated to your State and LGA in a year. With tracka.ng you can report, follow, and track projects that are to be done, ongoing or abandoned in your community. 

• Govspend 

With Govspend, individuals can monitor the federal government’s actual releases to its ministries, departments, and agencies, track recipients of government funds and contracts, observe amounts deposited into accounts, and even report contractors who have received allocations but have failed to deliver their projects or abandoned them and the outflow of money from the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Link: http://www.govspend.ng

• PHC Tracka 

PHCTracka allows community members to assess the services and conditions at their local Primary Healthcare Centers. Asking questions like “Are you happy with the services and conditions at your community’s primary health care center?” prompts citizens to reflect on their experiences and provide feedback. In summary, one can report primary healthcare needs in their community, facilitating targeted interventions and resource allocation.

Link: http://www.phctracka.org

• Open States

Open States allows access to state budgetary data and documents—the citizen’s budget, approved budget, proposed budget, state policy statement, budget implementation report, and state financial audit report—enabling citizens to scrutinize government expenditures and advocate for priorities. Here are some breakdowns of what these mean.

Link: http://www.openstates.ng

• me.budgit.org

Meanwhile, access to allocations for states and local governments has become easier with www.me.budgit.org. Now you can see how much your state and local government is receiving from the comfort of your home and ensure in your little way the funds are well spent and the projects are well executed. 

Link: http://www.me.budgit.org

• State of States

With the State of States dashboard, citizens and stakeholders can stay informed with accurate and up-to-date information on the subnational governance reform decisions of Nigeria’s 36 states, empowering them to engage in informed discourse and advocacy. The dashboard also keeps citizens and stakeholders abreast of the fiscal performance of the 36 states of the federation. It has actual data sets from years, which can be used to empower citizens to engage in informed discourse and advocacy. 

Link: http://www.stateofstates.budgit.org

• FG Budget Dashboard

The FG Budget Dashboard examines federal budgets in a simplified form, demystifying complex financial documents and fostering greater understanding among citizens. It makes it effortless for you to scrutinize the budget, spot unnecessary expenses, and access quick analyses with infographics.

Link: https://budgit.org/fg-budget-dashboard/

So, what are you waiting for? Be a smart and active citizen today.

The hope for a functional democracy rests on the active involvement of every citizen.