“At BudgIT, we believe it is the right of every citizen to have access and also understand public budgets. We also believe budgets must be efficiently implemented for the good of the people.”
Budgit is a new, informative website for promoting transparency within the public finance sector. It was initiated by Tech-In-Governance, a gathering organised by Co-Creation Hub in February 2011.
Its primary features include sections for infographics, data and government budget statements, mostly from 2015. Its Deficit Calculator is also a useful tool for estimating budget deficits in government spending with resources available on the website.According to Budgit’s creators, this application gives users the chance to be the country’s finance minister for a day.
“What if you had the power to set parameters that define Nigeria’s revenue? Take up the challenge and become Finance Minister for a day,” as cited on the website.
Pros: Primarily, BudgIT’s creators deserve to be commended for their ingenuity and drive towards social change with the aid of this platform. It is a step in the right direction in promoting government accountability and increased citizen participation. It’s also easily navigable which is an added bonus, and resources are available in downloadable PDF formats. They are perfect for research purposes by academics or for the average curious citizen’s perusal.
Cons: As stated earlier, most budget statements are from 2015 alone. The managing body will need to include statements from previous years. Infographics do cover a wider time frame, however.
Visit BudgIT today and let us know what you think!
