By No fewer than 15 organisations benefited from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation nearly $9 million to elevate accountability and anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria.
The grants are part of the Foundation’s On Nigeria grant making, which seeks to reduce corruption by building an atmosphere of accountability, transparency, and good governance in the country.
“The grants will support nonprofits working to advance criminal justice reform or fight corruption in Nigeria,” the foundation said via a statement.
“The organizations will collaborate with other Foundation-supported partners in Nigeria, including several that are focused on enhancing investigative journalism and reducing corruption in the electricity and education sectors, two services that Nigerians report as being critical but difficult to access due to corruption.”
Kole Shettima, director of MacArthur’s Nigeria office said “addressing corruption requires action and partnership among a wide array of people and groups, including those in government, the media, civil society, communities, and consumers”.
“These grants will reinforce and expand the growing network of organizations partnering across disciplines to contribute to a culture of investigation, advocacy, accountability, and transparency.”
The funds are divided into “Criminal Justice Grants” and “Civil Society Grants”, which have been awarded to 15 organisations for the efforts against corruption in Nigeria.
Grants in support of criminal justice organizations seek primarily to further state-level adoption and implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), which aims to ensure that administration of criminal justice in Nigeria promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of society from crime, and protection of the rights and interests of the suspect, defendant, and victim.
The grants include: CLEEN Foundation (Abuja): To create a comprehensive online repository that catalogs, analyzes, and provides detailed information on corruption cases and to facilitate monitoring of implementation and compliance with the ACJA in corruption cases.
International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)/Nigeria.
Nigerian Bar Association (Abuja)
Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies(Abuja)
Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative (Abuja)
Grants to civil society organizations will support activities related to reducing corruption, including efforts to leverage and respond to investigative journalism regarding corruption.
They include:
African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Abuja)
African Centre for Media & Information Literacy(Abuja)
Arewa Research & Development Project(Kaduna)
Center for Transparency Advocacy (Abuja)
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre(Abuja)
Connected Development (Abuja)
Human & Environmental Development Agenda(Lagos)
Social Development Integrated Centre (Port Harcourt)
Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation (Abuja)
Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (Abuja)
MacArthur’s On Nigeria grantmaking supports Nigerian-led efforts to address the corruption, impunity, and lack of accountability that have posed major governance challenges in Nigeria, with far-reaching impacts on the well-being of Nigerians and development in the country.
The Foundation is focused on reducing incidences of petty or retail corruption that citizens experience every day, addressing issues of grand corruption that reinforce a culture of corruption, strengthening the criminal justice system, and building citizen demand for and confidence in anti-corruption efforts.
MacArthur has been making grants in Nigeria since 1989, opening an office in Abuja in 1994 staffed by Nigerians.
The Cable
