President Bola Tinubu has directed the establishment of a quarterly Government-Civil Society Policy Dialogue Forum to institutionalise citizens’ participation in policy formulation, implementation and evaluation.

Tinubu gave the directive on Friday while declaring the 2026 National Civil Society Organisation Summit open in Abuja, where he urged stronger collaboration between government and civil society organisations CSOs.

The President, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, said the proposed forum would provide a structured platform for evidence-based advocacy and ensure that concerns from communities were reflected in government decisions.

He also pledged to expand civic space for social accountability by strengthening collaboration with accredited CSOs on public finance transparency, budget tracking and monitoring of humanitarian and grassroots interventions.

Tinubu said economic growth must translate into social inclusion, stressing that government could not achieve that objective alone.

He identified four areas for deeper government-CSO collaboration, beginning with the quarterly policy dialogue forum to be established by the SGF.

The President said CSOs would also be repositioned as key drivers of efforts to localise the Sustainable Development Goals, with government, the United Nations system, development partners and the private sector supporting capacity building, institutional sustainability and access to technical and financial resources.

He listed poverty reduction, youth and women empowerment, health, education, climate resilience and peace-building among areas requiring stronger collaboration.

On national cohesion, Tinubu urged CSOs to help counter misinformation, promote interfaith dialogue and advocate inclusive governance.

He also called on them to play a prominent role ahead of the 2027 general elections through voter education, election monitoring and advocacy for electoral reforms.

The President said the credibility of the electoral process would require coordinated efforts involving civil society, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, the media and citizens.

At the summit, the National Convener of the National Civil Society Organisation Summit, 2026, Ambassador Kunle Yusuff, said CSOs possessed extensive grassroots information that could help government identify emerging challenges and design more responsive interventions.

Yusuff said the Civil Society Organisations on Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative (CSCHEI) was working with about 3,700 accredited civil society and community-based organisations across 485 areas.

He proposed a sustainable partnership compact through which government, civil society and the private sector could jointly work on national priorities, while monitoring policies, budgets and electoral promises.