This blog was written by Abiola AfolabiThe recent spread of the Ebola virus, which infected and killed at least 11,000 people across West Africa, resulted in many donations and support for the various countries affected by the virus. In mid-May 2015, the World Health Organization declared it was setting up a $100 million emergency contingency fund.In this regard, it would seem WHO is playing catch-up: other donors are concerned with the need for funds to contain the virus in affected countries. Considering the challenge of transparency across the sub-region, there is further concern around the efficiency with which funds pledged by the private, public and donor communities are being tracked and audited.BudgIT, in collaboration with Open Society Initiative for West Africa, has set up a website visualising all funds allocated to fight Ebola in West Africa, based on data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Their analysis shows that only 67% of the required $1.51 billion have been raised as of April 2015:
- Sierra Leone has received over $469,396,495
- Guinea $237,118,849
- Nigeria received $4,411,591
- Liberia got $827,850,673 in donations and support for related projects
BudgIT is also conducting research into the use of funds donated to Ebola Virus Disease management across the sub-region. Our partners for this project include the Campaign for Good Governance in Sierra Leone and Ebola Alert in Nigeria.We have just completed our first study in Nigeria, with studies in the other affected countries beginning in early June. We explored the quality of care given, the quality of post-Ebola care, quality of preparedness (budget planning, monitoring and evaluation), availability of resources, quality of remuneration and post-Ebola commitment.Testimonies gathered from survivors, victims’ relatives, health workers, administrative staff, government officials and international partners constitute the blueprint of this report, which will serve as a basis to conduct investigations into public institutions. We believe citizens should have access to the data documenting how the Ebola funds were expended. We expect to aggregate feedback of our reports and send same to relevant government institutions, to guide policy reforms around health and epidemic issues in the region.‘As citizens of the region and indeed the world, it is important that we ensure transparency and accountability regarding the use of funds. The Ebola Fund Watch project should challenge governments of affected countries to ensure that the funds are expended effectively and not as a tool for corruption’, said Oluseun Onigbinde Lead Partner/ Co-Founder at BudgIT.The Nigerian Report is on the website at ebolafundwatch.org. We will put up the reports from the other affected Countries upon completion.About BudgITBudgIT as an idea was conceptualised and hacked at the Tech-In-Governance, a 48-hour gathering organised by Co-Creation Hub in February 2011. BudgIT as a tool aims to redefine participatory governance. BudgIT’s innovation within the public circles comes with a creative use of government data by either presenting them in simple tweets, interactive format or infographic displays. We believe that in a democracy, every citizen has the right to know how his/her taxes are expended in the delivery of public infrastructure and services. Equality and open access to governance are entrenched in democracy and its institutions and as such, budgetary information as a vital asset needs to be understandable and accessible to all Nigerians.You can contact BudgIT via email info@yourbudgit.com and visit our websites www.yourbudgit.com and www.ebolafundwatch.org