By Festus Ahon, ASABA

DELTA State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Dr Barry Gbe has lauded Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for the openness and participatory governance his administration enshrined in the state’s processes.

Gbe, who stated this at Asaba, during the launching of the Delta State Action Plan (2023 – 2025) for the implementation of the Open Government Partnership, OGP, held
that one of the major driving forces against corruption and in support of sustainable development globally was for the government to ensure openness, transparency and accountability in governance.

The Commissioner who is Co-Chairman, State OGP Steering Committee, noted that if Government and citizens embrace open government principles in an organized stakeholders engagement like the OGP, the barriers to good governance would be dealt with and necessary reforms would be brought to bear in the state.

Also speaking, the Co-Chairman, (non state actor), Chief Emmanuel Uti, noted that Delta State stood for openness and transparency.

He promised that the non-state actors, the civil society organizations would always cooperate and support the implementation of the state action plan as regards its principles.

On his part, coordinator of the programme, Mr. Voke Ighoroje, said the OGP Action Plan in the state was anchored on four thematic pillars and nine enabling commitments, listing them to include Fiscal Transparency, Environmental sustainability citizens engagement, Empowerment and social security.

He explained that the Open Government Partnership is a partnership between the Government and the citizens in which both the people and the government are co-creators.