The Vulnerable People Support and Development Initiative (V-PeSDI) has participated in a two-day capacity-building workshop on Community Scorecards and Citizen Monitoring Tools for Participatory Service Delivery Tracking in Kano State.
The workshop, was organised by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II) Programme and brought together representatives of government institutions, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
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Representing V-PeSDI, Amatulmannan Mikaeel Ishaq participated in the training, which focused on strengthening citizens’ capacity to promote transparency, accountability and effective monitoring of public service delivery.
A major session centred on the design and application of community scorecards and was facilitated by Professor Ada Chidi.
Participants were introduced to practical methods for assessing the quality and effectiveness of public services using defined indicators, monitoring questions, evidence and scoring systems.
The session also examined ten dimensions of service delivery and their application to sectors such as health, education and water.
Participants learned how to identify appropriate evidence for assessment and develop scoring frameworks that can support objective evaluation and constructive engagement between citizens and service providers.
Speaking on Open Government Partnership (OGP) and citizen participation, the Senior Special Assistant to the Executive Governor of Kano State on Open Government Partnership and Accountability Policies and Head of the Kano State OGP Secretariat, Hon. Musaddiq Kabir Adam, stressed the importance of citizens’ involvement in governance.
He explained that government policies, budgets, projects and institutions should ultimately contribute to improving the lives and well-being of citizens.
Participants were encouraged to view citizens as active stakeholders who should have access to information, participate in decisions affecting their communities, monitor project implementation, raise concerns over poor service delivery and receive appropriate responses from responsible authorities.
The workshop also featured a presentation by Isah Mansur Bello, Principal Superintendent of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, on the Kano State Service Delivery and Transparency Initiative under the Kano State Anti-Corruption Strategy (KANSACS).
He highlighted the negative effects of corruption and weak accountability on the quality, efficiency, fairness and accessibility of public services, stressing the need for stronger institutional mechanisms to promote transparent and accountable service delivery.
Participants subsequently engaged in a practical community scorecard exercise, applying the knowledge acquired during the training to assess public services against agreed indicators and available evidence.
The exercise demonstrated how community scorecards can provide a structured platform for citizens and service providers to identify challenges, assess performance, address service delivery gaps and develop practical solutions.
The workshop also placed emphasis on disability inclusion and equity. Participants examined the need for government and private-sector service providers to ensure that public services are accessible and responsive to persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
The discussions further underscored the importance of ensuring that citizen monitoring mechanisms do not exclude marginalised populations, including persons with disabilities, women, children and other groups facing barriers to accessing essential services.
For V-PeSDI, participation in the workshop is expected to strengthen its capacity for citizen engagement, evidence-based advocacy, inclusive governance and accountable service delivery.
The knowledge gained will support the organisation’s efforts to ensure that the voices, rights and needs of vulnerable populations, particularly persons with disabilities, are reflected in public service delivery and governance processes.
The workshop underscored the need for wider adoption of community scorecards and citizen monitoring tools among civil society organisations and communities across Kano State.
Stakeholders were urged to strengthen collaboration among citizens, civil society organisations, government institutions and service providers to promote transparency, accessibility, evidence-based monitoring and meaningful public participation.
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For V-PeSDI, the training represents another step towards strengthening advocacy for inclusive, accessible, transparent and accountable public services and ensuring that vulnerable groups are not left behind in development and governance processes.