As part of efforts to strengthen civic voices, the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), has announced a grant of 4,000 U.S dollars for investigative reporting on government’s transparency and accountability in governance.
PPDC’s Chief Executive Officer, Lucy Abagi, made the announcement at a media convening on “Strengthening Civic Voices: The Role of CSOs and Media in Driving Transparency” in Abuja.
Abagi said the initiative is to support journalists to conduct investigative reports of stories that align with transparency and accountability across communities.
According to her, “the reports should be able to expose untold stories, issues and challenges across communities, why are projects not implemented, the issues with funds not being used for what they were initially meant for among others.
“What are the issues with people not accessing justice, what are the issues with people not being able to get legal representation, how long does an inmate stay in prison without access to the four corners of the courtroom?
“In as much as PPDC is driving transnational accountability, our work is based on data and storytelling.
“It aims at transforming complex issues to what citizens can easily relate with and what our government officials can use to inform policy debates and policy reforms.
More investigative reports needed
The PPDC CEO said, “We need more investigative reporting as to the issues across communities, procurement governance and access to justice,” she said.
According to her, PPDC will launch the portal in the next 30 days for journalists to apply for the grant.
“We want journalists to dig deeper and come up with stories, evidence-based data that reflects the key issues underlying these challenges that we’ve highlighted.”
The Communication Manager of PPDC, Nnenna Eze, said the initiative aims to build partnerships that turned information into influence, and stories into sustained public pressure for transparency and accountability.
“Reporting that follows accountability trails, and brings to light governance challenges that matter to everyday people.
“We don’t just want stories told; we want stories that provoke questions, spark dialogue, and push for follow-through,” she said.
