The Bauchi Field Office of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has organised a training on budget tracking, monitoring, and analysis for officials of the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU), Budgets and Planning Officers, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from Gombe, Bauchi, and Adamawa states.
Speaking at the event on Tuesday in Jos, Dr. Yusuf Auta, UNICEF’s Social Policy Specialist, said that the exercise aimed at strengthening the capacity of the participants toward ensuring a proper and inclusive budgeting system.
He added that the training was organised in conjunction with the Gombe State Ministry for Budget and Economic Planning.
According to Auta, the exercise would enhance their knowledge toward ensuring that the budgets of their respective states address the needs of women, children, and other vulnerable groups.
”We are here to strengthen the capacity of EIU officials, budget and planning officers, and some selected CSOs from these three states on budget tracking, monitoring, and analysis.
”As you know, our interest in UNICEF is in children and women, and over time, the budget that affects these categories of people usually suffers setbacks in terms of funding and allocation.
”We have done some analysis and realised that even at the spending stage in the areas of basic education, healthcare, social protection, and empowerment, it seems to be the least in terms of budgetary allocation.
”So, this training will enable the participants to use their knowledge to carry out an analysis and engage policymakers toward having a more effective budget for critical areas in their respective states, he said.
Earlier, Mr. Yusuf Goje, the lead facilitator of the training, said that the exercise would enable the participants to better understand the basics of their job schedules.
”This will help them analyse the budget from the human angle; the budget should not just be about the figures, but how it will translate into improving the living standards of the people, particularly women and children.
”This will also help them draw an equitable budget that will ensure that no one is left behind—a budget that will reflect the interests of the diverse groups that make up their states, he said.
Goje said that the training would also help the governments of the states to ascertain if their budgets are need-based and how to engage citizens in the implementation process.(NAN)
