Prime Initiative, Partners Boost CSOs’ Skills for Transparent, Inclusive Budget

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

As part of efforts to promote justice, accountability, and transparency in budget implementation, the Tax Justice and Governance Platform (TJ&GP), with support from Christian Aid, has organised a two-day capacity-building workshop on budget education and transparency for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and informal sector groups in Jigawa State.

The training, which focused on monitoring budget allocations, encouraged participants to advocate for equitable service delivery in communities, particularly in the education and health sectors.

Speaking during the session, the Executive Director of Prime Initiative, Comrade Muhammad Abdu Dutse, said the programme was designed to strengthen the capacity of CSOs, women-led groups, and informal sector representatives to analyse and engage with public budgets using a tax justice and gender-responsive approach.

He stressed that now is the right time for CSOs and other non-state actors to place greater emphasis on tracking education and health budget allocations, as these sectors have a direct impact on the lives of underprivileged citizens, especially women and children.

According to him, this goal can only be achieved if CSOs fully understand the budget process and public finance systems at both state and local government levels.

In his remarks, the Director of Planning at the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Umar Idris, urged CSOs to consistently follow up on budget implementation to ensure accountability and transparency.