Here are a few platforms, portals and places we’ve been inspired by over the years:
First is our own collaboration with the National Treasury to develop an easily accessible online budget data portal. The portal was named vulekamali by a South African citizen during the inception stages of the project. We continue to work with the National Treasury to entrench our commitment to transparency and budget participation reforms: https://vulekamali.gov.za/
We are currently participating in an initiative across 5 African countries called the Fiscal Openness Accelerator (FOA). The International Budget Partnership and the Global Initiative on Fiscal Transparency (GIFT) have developed the FOA to deepen work in improving transparency and enhancing public participation in fiscal policies.. The FOA is supported by the US Department of State and the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Multi-Donor Trust Fund managed by the World Bank. The initiative covers work in Benin, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa: http://www.fiscaltransparency.net/foaproject/
The Open Government Partnership (OGP): In 2011, government leaders and civil society advocates came together to create a unique partnership that combines the forces of reformers inside and outside of government to promote accountable, responsive and inclusive governance. Seventy-eight countries and a growing number of local governments—representing more than two billion people—along with thousands of civil society organizations are members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). OGP page: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/about/
The Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT) is a global network that facilitates dialogue between its stewards and partners from governments, civil society organizations, international financial institutions and other stakeholders to find and share solutions to challenges in fiscal transparency and participation: http://www.fiscaltransparency.net/about/
The International Budget Partnership (IBP) works in collaboration with multiple actors – including civil society, state actors, international institutions, and the private sector – to bring about a world in which empowered citizens participate in open, inclusive budgeting processes to shape policies and practices that promote equity and justice on a sustainable basis: https://www.internationalbudget.org/
We draw a great deal of valuable insights to inform our work from the Open Budget Survey (OBS) : https://www.internationalbudget.org/open-budget-survey The OBS is part of the International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Initiative, a global research and advocacy program to promote public access to budget information and the adoption of accountable budget systems.