This conversation between a development professional and a traditional chief aims to make kings and traditional leaders the backbone of a citizen action/control to boost Domestic Resource Mobilization fot the SDGs. It is an exercise performed in the context of the World Bank Group MOOC Course on Financing for Development

1. I AM A DRM CHAMPION, AND YOU?
Development Professional: Good morning, Honorable.
Traditional Chief: Good morning my son! How are you? Please be seated.
I am fine, thanks, Honorable.
What good news are you bringing to me so early?
I have come to salute you and share with you about DRM.
What? DRM? What is that again? It seems that each time you come, you craft a new term
for us. You talked about MDGs, Climate Change. Not long ago, you brought us SDGs, and
this time DRM. Here I am. Tell me. What is it?
Thank you very much Honorable. I am glad you mentioned SDGs. What does this stand
for?
Sustainable Development Goals! Hee, my son, I am old but still strong and sharp hein.
Oh Yes, Honorable, I can testify to that! You have not forgotten these acronyms, especially
Sustainable Development Goals I shared about with you and your community.
Of course. I can never, never forget Sustainable development Goals! We all long for
sustainability, everywhere and every time. But now, tell me, what is DRM and what do you
expect me to do about it?
DRM stands for Domestic Resource Mobilization!
Heee! But I know that! You mean my chicken, my sheep, and pigs, crop?
Yes, honorable! You are right! These are part of your domestic resources. But there are
more than that.
Yes of course. My money, gold, all my possessions…
Exact! Hum, you are so right, Honorable, especially money!
So, what are you coming to tell me about my own money?
As you have your own money that you can use to develop your business and achieve your
life goals, we as a country have also our own resources that the government can mobilize
through tax collection and manage well in order to achieve the Sustainable Development
Goals for our nation.
Ah, ah, ah, I see now. That is why we pay taxes! Right? But my only problem is that our
resources are not well managed. There is too much corruption, government people use our

2. money for their own benefits, and some wealthy taxpayers do their best to avoid taxes, etc.
That is discouraging…
Yes, Honorable. But we can change that. That is why I came to see you. You as a
traditional chief, with your newly instated Chamber, you can help to control tax payment
structures and systems and also public expenditure to prevent public resource
embezzlement and corruption. You can hold the government accountable but also explain
to your community the importance of mobilizing our own resources to achieve the SDGs for
our nation, together with other funds such as Official Development Assistance and
Multilateral Development Banks and international private resources. You can also set up a
commission within your Chamber to develop your capacity and your understanding of
public budget and expenditure, and equip several of you as DRM Champions to contribute
to the achievement of the SDGs by 2030. What do you think, Honorable?
Wow! Great idea. I will begin right here. I will create a banner and write on it: “I am a DRM
Champion, and you?” I will tell everyone who reads what you have told me and engage
them to do the same. Thank you very much for opening my eyes. I am definitely a DRM
Champion from now on!
You are most welcome, Honorable. And please know that we will work together to build
your capacity and develop some communication tools to make as many traditional chiefs
DRM Champions! So let us meet again on Friday next week! Goodbye, Honorable!
Granted! Goodbye my son, and have travel mercy on your way back.
Summary
My work aims to make Ivorian kings and traditional chiefs DRM Champions. I see them as
“knowledgeable citizens who know what direction the country needs to go” (Jan Eliasson –
video 1, Week 1) in mobilizing citizens and influencing decision-makers on DRM. They can
engage citizens into responsible citizen action and control over DRM structures, good
management of public funds and government performance. I target them because they are
very influential in their communities and therefore powerful relays on DRM education. Now
they can also influence the decision-makers through their legal framework, the Chamber of
Kings and Traditional Chiefs.