The Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) is a public-sector accountability and governance programme working to achieve improvements in governance and service delivery, primarily focusing on health, education, water and agriculture services. PERL builds on two decades of learning and experience from supporting governance reform in Nigeria through various ways of working in partnership with governments, citizens, parliaments, media and the private sector. PERL recognises that demonstrating the link between governance reforms and improved service delivery for citizens is critical, which is why civic engagement is an integrated part of every aspect of its approach. Facilitating this engagement has been an extensive learning journey. This executive note explains the contextual rationale behind PERL’s broad strategic approach deriving from the earlier experiences and lessons learnt by PERL’s predecessor programmes and over the course of PERL’s implementation. Download to read more about PERL's Approach