By Luminous Jannamike,ABUJA

Despite improvements in the socio-political environment, civil society organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria are still facing challenges in influencing policy, according to experts in the country.

They made this submission in a joint training event for journalists and CSOs, titled ‘Digital Media & Collaboration for Civic Inclusion (DMCCI),’ which was organized in Abuja by Connected Development (CODE) with support from Oxfam and the National Orientation Agency.

In his presentation, Dr. Augustine Okere, highlighted the challenges CSOs face in effectively influencing policy in Nigeria, despite a more favorable socio-political environment.

Dr. Okere stated that while recent positive changes such as democratization, freer markets, and globalization have improved the climate for CSOs, their impact on policy worldwide remains comparatively low.

He emphasized the importance of research-based evidence on development issues in CSOs’ work and urged them to scrutinize national policy processes and intervene strategically in every stage of the policy process.

“CSOs should present credible, practical, and relevant evidence which is most likely to have a policy impact,” Dr. Okere said, adding that greater networking among CSOs and other stakeholders can amplify policy-related evidence and mobilize resources, increasing their lobbying potential.

However, Dr. Okere noted several barriers to CSOs’ engagement with government on policy, including hostile governments marginalizing their research and service delivery, inadequate understanding of policymaking processes, and communication strategies that fail to present data accessibly.

“Additionally, technical and financial capacity constraints limit smaller CSOs’ ability to participate in policy discussions,” he stated.

Msen Nabo, Digital Media Associate at Connected Development (CODE), also spoke at the event, addressing ways individuals and CSOs can support press freedom.

Nabo enumerated various tactics used to suppress press freedom, including intimidation, harassment, violence, censorship laws, fines, lawsuits, and cybercrime laws.

Among her recommendations for supporting press freedom, Nabo suggested engaging in citizen-led journalism, speaking against attempts to restrict press freedom through proposed legislations, and supporting media outlets by sharing their stories and donating to their cause.