Forces for partnership working or farce: accountability and transparency practices in Nigeria local regeneration partnerships.

Abstract

Public Private Partnerships from western literature have been associated with the extent to which partner organisations are given an opportunity to participate in the collaboration process, how partner organisations exhibit accountability practices in the partnership process and the extent to which transparent procedures exist within partnerships. This paper seeks to address this phenomena from the perspective of the New Public Management literature and from the empirical context of a developing country, Nigeria. The paper explores if formal structures created under PPP arrangements have addressed challenges of transparency and upward and downward accountability that inundate traditional procurement approach of infrastructure and public services in the Nigerian context. A qualitative approach is employed using data collected through 14 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in a Transport Partnership and a Housing Partnership. Keywords - Transparency, Accountability, Public-Private Partnership, Nigeria