Open Gov Africa - (Office of The Citizens) is a decentralized collaborative platform dedicated to promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen participation across African governments. By leveraging open data, we aim to empower citizens, track government activities, and ensure that public officials are accountable for their actions.

• The definition of citizens here is not just limited to office holders.Every citizen is in office via the elected/appointed official(s) who are called to serve the people.
• It is pertinent to note that because of the decentralised and open source nature of this project, it will continue till bad governance in Africa is corrected.
• To ensure continuity, there will be numerous maintainers to continue the good work of holding leaders accountable.

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• Open Gov Africa OF Citizens in Office
• Open Gov Africa BY Citizens in Office
• Open Gov Africa FOR Citizens in Office

Our mission is to use open data to enhance governance, foster accountability, and encourage active citizen engagement across Africa. We strive to provide a comprehensive and accessible repository of information about government officials, their activities, and related public data.

• Government Activity: Monitor the publicly available activities & decisions of the Presidency, members of the House of Representatives, the Senate, the various ministries and ministers, and Local Governments.
• Protest Tracking: Collect and safeguard information about protests, including participant details, to ensure safety and accountability.
• Financial Transparency: Track the allocation and expenditure of government funds to highlight potential diversions or misuse.
• Business Affiliations: Document known businesses and affiliated entities of public officials to identify conflicts of interest.
• Country-Specific Information: Enable contributors to add and access information specific to different African countries.

• Git: Become an Expert in Git & GitHub in 4 Hours
• FreeCodeCamp-Git and GitHub for Beginners - Crash Course
• Introduction to GitHub Project Boards

repository-name/
├── data/
│   ├── country/
│   │   ├── nigeria/
│   │   │   ├── contacts/
│   │   │   │   ├── representatives/
│   │   │   │   │   ├── {official-name}.json
│   │   │   │   ├── senators/
│   │   │   │   │   ├── {official-name}.json
│   │   │   │   ├── ministers/
│   │   │   │   │   ├── {official-name}.json
│   │   │   │   ├── businesses/
│   │   │   │   │   ├── {official-name}.json
│   │   │   └── ...
│   │   ├── kenya/
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── protests/
│   │   ├── 2024-07-28/
│   │   │   ├── protest-info.json
│   │   │   ├── participants/
│   │   │   │   ├── participant1.json
│   │   │   │   ├── participant2.json
│   │   │   │   └── ...
│   │   └── ...
├── docs/
├── src/
├── tests/
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
└── CONTRIBUTING.md

We welcome contributions from everyone! Here's how you can get started:

1. Fork the Repository: Click the "Fork" button at the top of this repository to create your own copy.
2. Clone Your Fork: Clone your forked repository to your local machine using git clone https://github.com/your-username/repository-name.git.
3. Create a Branch: Create a new branch for your work with git checkout -b your-branch-name.
4. Make Your Changes: Add your data or make your code changes.
5. Commit Your Changes: Commit your changes with a descriptive commit message.
6. Push to GitHub: Push your branch to GitHub with git push origin your-branch-name.
7. Submit a Pull Request: Open a pull request to merge your changes into the main repository.

For detailed contribution guidelines, refer to our CONTRIBUTING.md file.

To achieve our mission of promoting transparency and accountability, we need a variety of teams with specific skills and responsibilities. Here’s a detailed list of the essential teams you should consider contributing to:

• Responsibilities:
  • Collect data on government officials, their activities, financial expenditures, and business affiliations.
  • Verify the accuracy and authenticity of the collected data.
  • Monitor news sources, official government releases, and other information channels for updates.
• Skills Needed:
  • Research skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Analytical skills
  • Familiarity with data verification techniques

• Responsibilities:
  • Develop and maintain the OpenGov Africa website and any associated databases.
  • Ensure data security and privacy, including encryption of sensitive information.
  • Implement and maintain tools for data collection and analysis.
  • Manage GitHub repositories and ensure they are up-to-date.
• Skills Needed:
  • Web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
  • Backend development (Python, Ruby, PHP)
  • Database management (SQL, NoSQL)
  • Cybersecurity best practices
  • Familiarity with Git and GitHub

• Responsibilities:
  • Develop and execute communication strategies to raise awareness about OpenGov Africa’s mission and activities.
  • Manage social media accounts and engage with the public.
  • Craft press releases, newsletters, and blog posts.
  • Liaise with media outlets, NGOs, and other stakeholders.
• Skills Needed:
  • Excellent written and verbal communication
  • Social media management
  • Public relations
  • Content creation

• Responsibilities:
  • Recruit, train, and manage volunteers.
  • Develop volunteer programs and ensure volunteers are effectively integrated into various projects.
  • Track volunteer contributions and recognize their efforts.
• Skills Needed:
  • Human resources management
  • Organizational skills
  • Communication skills

• Responsibilities:
  • Identify potential donors and fundraising opportunities.
  • Develop and execute fundraising campaigns.
  • Build and maintain relationships with donors, partners, and sponsors.
  • Explore and implement decentralized donation methods.
• Skills Needed:
  • Fundraising strategies
  • Networking
  • Proposal writing
  • Knowledge of decentralized finance (DeFi)

• Responsibilities:
  • Ensure all activities comply with local and international laws.
  • Manage legal issues related to data privacy and security.
  • Draft and review contracts, agreements, and policies.
• Skills Needed:
  • Legal expertise
  • Knowledge of data protection laws (e.g., GDPR)
  • Attention to detail

• Responsibilities:
  • Track and document protest activities and incidents.
  • Ensure the safety of protesters by providing guidelines and support.
  • Collaborate with human rights organizations and legal advisors.
• Skills Needed:
  • Field reporting
  • Crisis management
  • Knowledge of human rights

• Responsibilities:
  • Manage the organization’s finances, including budgeting and accounting.
  • Ensure financial transparency and accountability.
  • Handle administrative tasks to keep the organization running smoothly.
• Skills Needed:
  • Accounting and finance
  • Organizational skills
  • Attention to detail

• Responsibilities:
  • Provide support to contributors and users of the platform.
  • Engage with the community to gather feedback and improve services.
  • Host webinars, workshops, and community events.
• Skills Needed:
  • Customer support
  • Community management
  • Event planning

You can volunteer for any of the above teams here

Join our community to collaborate, ask questions, and seek support:

• GitHub Issues: For bug reports, feature requests, and enhancements.
• Discussion Forums: OpenGov Africa Discord
• Social Media: Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

For any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out to us at [citizens@opengovafrica.org].

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

We appreciate the support and contributions from our community and partners who make this project possible. Special thanks to all the volunteers who have contributed their time and expertise.

Thank you for contributing to Open Gov Africa - Office of The Citizens. Let's work together for a more transparent and accountable governance system across Africa.