Making coordination a catalyst for the Open Government Partnership in South Africa

Abstract

Open Democracy Advice Centre, a South African civil society organisation working on transparency and accountability, has been heavily involved in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) since its inception. Through this work, it saw that poor interdepartmental coordination was hindering the South African government’s ability to implement its ambitious commitments to revitalise the public service, promote transparency, and use technology to strengthen governance. Making All Voices Count gave ODAC a practitioner research and learning grant to see what could be learned about how interventions like the OGP can enhance the potential for interdepartmental coordination. Using a conversational format, this Practice Paper discusses both the research findings, and the broader context for open governance reform in South Africa.