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The survey was conducted by NOI-Polls and commissioned by SPARC/PATHS2/ESSPIN.

The intended purpose of the study was to contribute to the baselines of the SLPs, provide data regarding citizens' perceptions and to support internal and external engagement with government on key issues. In addition, it was hoped that the factsheets themselves might usefully reinforce the necessary link between measures of public opinion and government activity.

Also attached is a summary note which provides information on how to use the factsheets.

The State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC) Programme has made commitments to promoting gender equality and social inclusion in its technical support to state partners. Those commitments are in line with the Department for International Development (DFID) recognition that gender equality and social inclusion are important goals and are vital to poverty elimination, and the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In order to make good that commitment, SPARC is building in-house capacity for Gender and Social Inclusion (G&SI) mainstreaming to enable staff make appropriate G&SI considerations in their work and give them the confidence to provide quality technical support and advice to government partners. This Gender Mainstreaming Guide is intended to be a quick and handy toolkit to support the in-house capacity building and is therefore primarily for SPARC staff but can also be used to inform and guide government partners.

The Guide is presented in six sections, providing G&SI mainstreaming guidance and checklists related to SPARC work streams. Areas covered include:

• DFID Approach to G&SI;
• Applying G&SI mainstreaming;
• G&SI in Policy/Programmes;
• G&SI in Public Financial Management;
• G&SI in Public Sector Management;
• Dealing with Resistance to G&SI Mainstreaming.

Leaflets providing a short overview of SPARC's work and its different workstreams.

This document describes the strategic approach of the Knowledge Management (KM) work stream within the State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC) Programme.

Section Two sets out how KM approaches can be applied so that they support and contribute to overall SPARC objectives, leading to a working definition of KM within the SPARC context. It builds upon earlier strategic thinking, and a record of those processes, consultations and contributory drafts can be found in the KM 'work stream innovation diary'.

It goes on to outline in Section Three the five strategic Dimensions of the KM work stream; their content, methodology and working assumptions, leading to outcomes for work plans which are fully elaborated in the SPARC annual work plans. Section Four describes how the KM work stream unit is to be structured and resourced and the Annex outlines our KM Communications Strategy in more detail.

This document is strategic; in that it:

• Deals with relatively high level issues and approaches, and locates the KM work within SPARC overall objectives;
• Sets out choices that have been made; what will (and will not) be pursued, and what the boundaries to KM work may be;
• Describes the KM work in the context of other SPARC work streams and other State Level Programmes (SLPs), and the linkages and overlaps between them;
• Aims to cover the long term; whilst the focus and detail will inevitably be sharper in the short term, it should provide a framework for longer-term planning, and will include exit-strategy considerations where possible;
• Is intended to be relatively durable, compared to work plans which will change and adapt continually in the light of experience and demand.  However, it is not sacrosanct, and will be modified without hesitation when necessary.

People in the community around Wudil, southwest of the city of Kano in Northern Nigeria,
now have continuous access to potable piped water, some for the first time in 10 years.
This is because of the rehabilitation of the Wudil Regional Water Scheme serving about
198,000 people. There are 15 similar regional schemes in Kano State and the government
is keen to scale up the Wudil model to these schemes. If this were to happen, it has the
potential to provide continuous clean water to over one million people.

Public financial systems in Nigeria are being computerised, increasing accuracy and
transparency. And, innovations in one state are being tried in neighbouring states, showing
that even without any formal intervention by state or national authorities, useful system
modifications will cross state lines.

Improving the management of public finances is a major cornerstone of improving delivery of
services to citizens by state government. The UK Department for International Development
(DFID) has been supporting reforms in public financial management through its governance
programmes in several Nigerian states. In partnership with state governments, reforms are
being implemented and concrete results are now beginning to emerge. In Jigawa State, as part
of a package of reform measures, strides are being made in the accuracy and timeliness of
managing public funds. A package of measures (known as the 'bank reconciliation package') is
now being implemented. Why this new package is important is outlined, and the reasons
for progress so far are reflected on.

The UK Department for International Development has been working in Kaduna State of Nigeria since 2006. Many of the Millennium Development Goals will not be achieved in Kaduna unless poor people get access to effective and affordable services. At present, for every 100,000 births, over 1,000 mothers die. Only 35% of girls enroll in secondary school. This is partly because health and education services are poorly financed. Since DFID engagement in Kaduna, there has been increased expenditure on health and education services, but more needs to be done. Governance reforms are critical in these improvements, no more so than in the management of public finances, which can drive improved service delivery in health and education. Recently, Kaduna State has made progress towards budget realism, which will improve health and education expenditure, and improve the implementation of MDG focused health and education plans. This paper (i) explains the importance of budget realism, and the problems caused by unrealistic budgets; (ii) examines the actions taken to address the problem, and (iii) demonstrates the results achieved in budget realism and health and education expenditure.

The UK Department for International Development (DFID)'s State Level Programmes (SLPs) in
Nigeria are all committed to leaving a legacy of an improved capacity in public service and
elsewhere, through the provision of training and development. To further ensure sustainability,
this training and development is carried out in collaboration with Nigerian training institutions,
at state or national level, whenever possible.
In order to understand the existing training and development capacity of indigenous Nigerian
organisations, the programmes jointly undertook a Training Capability Assessment in 2010.
This assessment now provides a comprehensive guide to potential partners or contractors for
the delivery of training and development services, describing their areas of expertise and their
relevance for the SLPs.

Nigeria's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Conditional Grants Scheme (CGS) has been
designed to address the MDGs at the local level by providing financial and technical support to
scale-up the MDGs related activities of state and local governments. In federal systems of
government, state and local governments are responsible for delivery of basic services to
communities. They are better placed to do this than the federal governments, as they are more
familiar with the local conditions, demands and constraints.
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has been partnering the MDGs office
in Nigeria since 2009, through the State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and
Capability (SPARC), by improving the criteria for selection of projects, assisting with the
evaluation process, and in the design and coordination of the Local Government CGS.

The improvement of governance is a primary aim of the Department for International Development
(DFID) State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC) programme in
its support for Nigeria to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). A fundamental of
good governance is that the responsibilities and structures of key Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs) should be clearly described. This is essential for transparency, effective planning
and accountability, and avoids the confusion of overlapping and incomplete mandates. This note
summarises the outcomes and impact of SPARC-supported mandate mapping exercises
conducted in Enugu, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and Lagos in 2009 and 2010

In many states, a deeply ingrained practice of over-stated budgets and disconnected
development strategies has obstructed rational planning and has frustrated development over
the years. For states committed to breaking this cycle, the UK Department for International
Development (DFID) State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability
(SPARC) programme has developed capacity within key ministries and agencies, introducing
tools and processes to support integrated, consistent and realistic planning and budgeting.

Following a decision by Nigeria's National Economic Council, the UK's Department for International Development has been supporting the Nigeria Governors' Forum in developing the State Peer Review Mechanism (SPRM). Using ideas from the African Peer Review Mechanism developed by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the SPRM is the first of its kind at a sub-national level and is an innovative approach to accelerating the development of Nigeria's States.

It is a systematic examination of the performance of each State by other States, with the ultimate goal being to help every State improve its policymaking, adopt best practice and comply with established standards and principles. A set of comprehensive guidelines supporting the SPRM was launched in May 2011, and the first pilots began in mid-2011.

The State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC) Programme
has made commitments to promoting gender equality and social inclusion in its technical
support to state partners. Those commitments are in line with the UK Department for
International Development (DFID) recognition that gender equality and social inclusion are
important goals and are vital to poverty elimination and the achievement of all the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
In order to make good that commitment, SPARC has developed its own capacity for Gender and
Social Inclusion (G&SI) mainstreaming to enable staff to make appropriate G&SI considerations
in their work and to provide quality technical support and advice to government partners. A
comprehensive Gender Mainstreaming Guide has been produced as a quick and handy toolkit
to support this capacity development.

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) works with State Governments to help them improve the way resources are used to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. A key component of this support is SPARC; a programme which supports governance improvements in a number of areas. For example, SPARC is helping improve the way public funds are managed and used to deliver basic services such as health and education.

SPARC began working with five State Governments in late 2008 and helped them conduct a self assessment of the way finances, the civil service, and development planning was managed. This process brought together senior State Government officers and political office holders and included a critical reflection of the strengths and weaknesses of current systems. Following on from these assessments, each State Government developed their own strategies and plans (known as Change Programmes) for improving governance. These Change Programmes emerged in mid-late 2009 and reform implementation began immediately.

Lagos State Government is committed to improving its performance and accountability. It seeks to
enhance its capability to deliver improved services to the people of Lagos State in a cost-effective
and efficient manner. The State Government employs 54,039 mainstream civil servants across 24
sector Ministries and 52,407 in State Universal Basic Education Board and Local Governments.
A major first step to improving performance and accountability is to create a clearer picture of
mandates and responsibilities of each Ministry, Department or Agency (MDA). The UK Department
for International Development (DFID) has been supporting work that began in late 2009 and has
now been completed, with the report presented to the Head of Service in February 2011. This is a
summary of the work to date on mapping ministerial mandates within Lagos State Government

Owolabi Amisu, Coordinating Director, Management Services and Reforms Office, Lagos State, Nigeria,
discusses the benefits of SPARC's new self assessment process.

Sequel to the Kaduna state Government efforts to reform its public service (with the support of DFID-SPARC and other Development Partners) and the successes so far recorded in these initiatives that led to the attainment of Number One (1) position in the just concluded Government Share Fair Market Place organized by UK department for International Development (DFID) on 12-13 March, 2012, Kano State Government officials paid a study visit on 25th April, 2012 ( as attached) to understudy the public Service Reforms and the ongoing reforms being implemented in the State.

The DFID funded Gender in Nigeria Report 2012: Improving the Lives of Girls and Women in Nigeria was launched by Lamido Sanusi, Governor of the Central Bank & Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Minister of Finance, last week in Abuja to great acclaim. The report is a huge success. PSA exec summary.

This study brings together existing facts on girls and women in Nigeria for the first time, into one attractive, user friendly format for advocacy and action. It was the first time many became aware of the scale and depth of the gender challenge in Nigeria. The report examines 5 key themes: economic development, health, education, political voice and violence against girls and women.

The social indicators in Nigeria are shocking for a country of such wealth and resources -  as you know

• 1 woman dies every 10 minutes in child birth in Nigeria
• Only 4% of girls finish secondary school in Northern Nigeria
• 70% of girls and women cannot read or write a sentence in NN
• 1 in 3 15 - 24 year olds have been a victim of violence

Over 700 key decision makers attended the event (many more than we expected). There was wide press coverage and a High Level Panel of distinguished and reformist Nigerians called for action. This included Faroq Lawan leading the anti-corruption agenda in the National Assembly around the fuel subsidy; Chidi Odinkalu Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission; Maryam Uwais eminent child rights lawyer & Hajiya Bilkisu journalist & founder of the Federation of Muslim Women in Nigeria. We also had two youth representatives from Kaduna and Lagos who spoke with real passion. Girl hub showed their 3 minute video Amina radio where a northern teenager talks of her dreams for herself and other girls.

The report and surrounding events are a key milestone in raising the profile of girls and women in Nigeria. DFID will build on the commitments and high level support and of course we are looking to work with you our partners as part of our big push on girls' and women's empowerment in Nigeria.

The full report can be found on the DFID website.