Just over a decade ago, the movement for greater aid transparency began to take shape. Thanks to a combination of global cooperation, visionary leadership, committed bureaucrats, and constructive advocacy, donors have made notable progress toward their transparency commitments.
As Publish What You Fund’s latest Aid Transparency Index shows, donors have markedly improved both the quantity and quality of their published aid information over the last ten years. But it’s also become clear that publishing data alone isn't enough to shift behaviors, relationships, and outcomes. Furthermore, the COVID-19 crisis has both spurred new aid flows and revealed new gaps in our aid information. So where do we go from here? What can donors do to strengthen their transparency commitments, in the context of COVID-19 and beyond?
I invited two guests to discuss these questions on the CGD podcast: Gary Forster, Publish What You Fund's CEO, and Henry Asor Nkang, the development assistance database manager for Nigeria's Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning. In this episode, we look at the current state of aid data transparency, the impacts of the pandemic, and how countries and donors can use data to improve development efforts.
Sarah Rose is a policy fellow at the Center for Global Development.
CGD blog posts reflect the views of the authors, drawing on prior research and experience in their areas of expertise.
CGD is a nonpartisan, independent organization and does not take institutional positions.
