The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has won the 2020 ONE Award, which celebrates African efforts aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world’s blueprint for a better future. Established in Nigeria in 2003, this NGO aims to increase citizen participation in governance processes with a focus on improving the integrity of the public and private sectors.
Motivated by the desire to have a more transparent and accountable government, PPDC focuses on improvements to primary healthcare, primary education, and education governance. The organisation also works on clean water and sanitation. Underlying their work to improve public service effectiveness is the aim to strengthen public accountability mechanisms in Nigeria and across Africa.
PPDC aims to hold the government accountable while improving the quality and functionality of public infrastructure for citizens through a variety of programs.
Through advocacy-based approaches and campaigning, the organisation has seen excellent results. Big wins include their 2018 campaign for a revitalization of a constructed but not equipped primary health centre, which resulted in the equipment and provision of all required hospital equipment.
In 2016 their advocacy action resulted in a policy commitment and implementation of the Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS) by the Nigerian government. Now, they are leading the charge in demanding its full implementation in states.
They also launched the Homevida initiative for young script writers and filmmakers, aiming to influence the content of Nigerian filmmaking with integrity values, and providing incentives to do so. And their Digital Inclusion and Safer Internet (DISI) focuses on promoting access to digital technology in a way that preserves safety and freedom on the internet.
PPDC also collaborates with local partners to provide pathways for citizens to participate in governance at all levels using tech tools. One example of PPDC’s powerful partnerships was their 2017 partnership with CODE to improve transparency and accountability in the health, education, and environmental sectors.
The ONE Africa Award celebrates SDG targets range from halving extreme poverty, to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education. Read more about the three other finalists for this year’s ONE Africa Award.
