The talented and ambitious from every corner of the globe were recently in Bonn, Germany, for the annual UN SDG Action Awards. The awards are a celebration of the campaigners who have been taking real action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN SDG Action Awards recognises individuals, civil society organisations, subnational governments, foundations, networks, and private sector leaders from across the globe with the most innovative, impactful and transformative initiatives that are building a global movement of action for the SDGs.
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Among this year’s winners were Follow the Money (partners of ONE!), a project spearheaded by Connected Development. Follow the Money picked up the Mobilizer Award for their impressive work on targeting corruption in aid-giving. They have already impacted over 2,000,000 rural lives through tracking over $10 million meant for social development across African communities.
The Nigerian-based organisation was born out of a desire to tackle the corruption that can have dire consequences on budget allocations or aid for health, education and WASH. Frustrated by the fact that people living in poverty were not receiving the designated resources, and a widening gap of inequality, they decided to take a stand.
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Founded by Hamzat Lawal and Oludotun Babayemi, Follow the Money follows a social accountability model, where the team conduct data mining, and track budgets and appropriations to ensure aid funding is being spent accurately. Using technology, Follow the Money is able to get to the core of what’s happening with budgetary allocation.
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Savvy Freedom of Information requests, empowering people to hold their elected officials accountable and conducting regular community outreach efforts, cemented the team’s win in the Mobilizer category.
Through their disruptive interventions, essential public projects have been completed. Their commitment to stopping corruption, ending poverty and furthering inclusive development shines through.
