Connected Development Initiative (CODE) Founded in 2012, Connected Development [CODE] is a non-government organization [NGO] whose mission is to empower marginalized communities in Africa. We strengthen local communities by creating platforms for dialogue, enabling informed debate, and building capacities of citizens on how to hold their government accountable through Follow the Money.

CODE provides marginalized and vulnerable communities with resources to amplify their voices with independence and integrity while providing the communities with information that ushers social and economic progress.  To enhance effective  democratic  governance and accountability, CODE creates platforms  [mobile  and  web  technologies]  that  close  the  feedback  loop  between  citizens  and  the government.

We are activists, advocates, educators, mobilisers, community champions, volunteers, journalists.

Our Vision:
We envision a world where all people - even in the most remote areas of the globe can hold their government accountable.

Our Mission:
To empower marginalized communities

Our Objectives:
1.   Increase people#s access to information through whatever technological means they choose.
2.   Increase    and    share    innovative    approaches    to    information    exchange     through experimentation, research, and technology.
3.   Develop innovative platforms for coverage of social, environmental and governance issues.
4.   Increase the adoption and implementation of international development laws and policies.

Our Core Focus Areas:
1.   Follow The Money
2.   Advocacy and Policy Influencing
3.   Citizens Mobilisation

Our Core Values
#   Integrity
#   Commitment
#   Partnership
#   Freedom of information

Follow The Money is a signature campaign of CODE through whichwe advocate, visualize and track government and international aid funds earmarked for capital projects for the provision of Health, WASH and Education services in rural communities. Over the past five years we have tracked projects in over 50 communities,impacting over 600,000 lives so far.
We employ both traditional and new media to amplify the voices of the people in the communities where we carry out campaigns. Follow The Money Radio (in Abuja and Kaduna) ensures that a large percentage of the grassroot population are able to participate in conversations about campaigns.

Online social media engagements also ensure that we reach a critical mass of the youth population, majority of which are on various social media platforms.
Using traditional mediato tell our stories
On the Strategic Partnership/Conflict <(>&<)> Fragility project, CODE will work on three major outcomes;
1. Influence Financial institutions that invest in commodity trading companies strengthen their policies on human rights, illicit financial flows and conflict-sensitivity
CODE will carry out series of outreaches to amplify the voices of targeted communities negatively affected by the business practices of commodity traders. The key messages from these communities will be further directed to commodity traders and other relevant stakeholders to inform the discourse on the importance of a policy shift that can influence thedecision-making process of the policies of companies that influence the business practices of these commodity traders.

Furthermore, sensitization campaigns in the communities located close to the operating areas of commodity traders will occur through town hall meetings in order for communities to take ownership of the campaign and independently take the lead on monitoring the activities of commodity traders to ensure these activities occur in a conflict-sensitive and human rights-enhancing manner. Since this is a form of civic engagement, it will lead to an increase in the accountability and transparency of commodity traders# business practices.

2.Strengthened regulation of the investments by commodity traders in the oil and gas industry
Both home and host states as well as regional bodies such as the EU should implement regulations that foster accountabilityand transparency of commodity traders, enhance conflict-sensitive investments and ensure these companies pay tax revenues. For CODE a good point to start will be to further the campaign on country by country reporting and the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting-BEPS, which aims to provide automatic information to countries on companies operating within their jurisdictions, looking at tax liabilities, revenue base, owners of the companies, beneficiaries of such companies and many other factors bothering ondevelopmental strides in Nigeria.

Because the risk of gross human rights abuses is heightened in conflict affected areas, states should help ensure that business enterprises operating in those contexts are not involved with such abuses. According to theUN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), they can do so by denying access to public support and services for a business enterprise that is involved with gross human rights abuses and refuses to cooperate in addressing the situation, and byensuring that their current policies, legislation, regulations and enforcement measures are effective in addressing the risk of business involvement in gross human rights abuses.  Where #host# States are unable to protect human rights adequately due toa lack of effective Protection/control, international standards holds sway for such companies #home# States have roles to play in assisting both those corporations and host States to ensure that businesses are not involved with human rights abuses. ThedraftNational Action Plan on Business and Human Rights currently domiciled with the National Human Rights Commission is an excellent document and policy piece to implement, its adaption by the Federal Executive Council in Nigeria will be a great mile stoneto achieve. This will give legitimacy to campaigns and advocacies on companies that do not respect human rights within their jurisdictions and value chain, in terms of helping these companies (in this case Vitol) to show internal polices of respectinghuman rights within their entre value chain and reporting same to the corporate affairs commission- a government body responsible for registering all existing companies in Nigeria.

One of CODE#s strength as an organization is its ability to carry out campaigns at national, subnational and community level.  CODE in collaboration with Oxfam Nigeria will map out the activities of Nigerian institutions and CSOs engaged in ensuring adequate regulation of commodity traders and organize a workshop for CSOstomechanize strategies and identify gaps to further engage in a high-level advocacy with Nigerian regulatory institutions. The mapping will be carried out to ensure there is no duplication of efforts in the activities of CSOs to enhance the regulation of the investment of commodity traders. Duplication of efforts is likely to impede on the expected outcome of improving these regulations and further inhibit the progress made by other CSOs in the past.

In addition, CODE will work with existing networksto devise strategies to push for the adoption of the UNGP Nigeria NAP through campaigns, that is, courtesy calls, public awareness creation on old and new media platforms, as well as peaceful rallies.

3. Improve the Policies and conflict sensitive business practicesof commodity traders in the oil and gas industry enhanced.
Commodity traders should avoid inflaming conflicts and violence. In order to do so, companies should be aware of the history of the political and social environment, identify potential points oftension and hostility, and conduct intervention activities in a way which is sensitive to these.  Town hall meetings on peace building between communities and companies. This will bring the parties together and identify areas of need by the communitiesfor possible intervention by these companies. Issues of compensation, CSR, employment, and remediation mechanism will be highlighted, recommendations made for possible implementation.

The intermediate change involves an increased awareness and political will to create an environment where oil and gas traders globally can be held accountable, this will be facilitated by our international colleagues working on the same campaign at that level.
Activities that contribute to these changes area research, capacity building of local CSOs and the development of a joint influencing strategy. This will also include media round table with journalist and oil and gas sector practitioners on reporting, implementing the recommendations, and filing annual feedback toprogress to the regulating institutions-Corporate Affairs Commission-CAC.