CITAD Trains CSOs, CBOs On Budget Processes In Bauchi
The Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has trained Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in three local government areas of Bauchi State, Toro and Alkaleri on budget processes in order to create synergy between the people and the government in budgetary and procurement processes of the state.
Daily Independent reports that the training of CSOs and CBOs on budget processes is a component of CITAD with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under a one year project, entitled”Strengthening citizens participatory budgetary process” through the “State Accountability Transparency and Effectiveness (State2 State) to implement governance in the state.
Speaking in welcome remarks during the training that was held at the Medical and Health Workers Union secretariat in Bauchi, the Executive Director of CITAD, Dr Yunusa Zakari Yau said that by increasing citizens’ awareness of the budget process, citizens will be equipped to make informed inputs to the various stages across the budget cycle, further improving accountability in the government’s budgets process and system.
Represented by the CITAD Senior Programme Officer, Isah Garba, the Executive Director said that the objective of the training was to enhance the capacity of CSOs and CBOs to engage both government and citizens in the budget process and to improve citizens’ participation in budget processes and government officials.
He told the participants to engage in budget tracking in order to ensure prompt release of money budgeted for particular sectors of the state economy, adding that they should engage people from the grassroot through enlightenment in order for them to know their right to public property.
Giving an overview of the State2 State Project, the CITAD Senior Programme Officer, Isah Garba said that the budget is the most critical document in governance, hence citizens must engage in the processes to have a sense of belonging in affairs of government.
He said that the training also so makes the participants understand budget processes and other areas of engagement where the CSOs and CBOs can engage the government in drafting the budget, down to its implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
” We want the participants of this training to also understand the implementation report, to see the level of assessment conducted and level of improvement gotten in a certain year as well as how to create a synergy between the legislature and communities in developing communal agenda”
“So if the budget is truly for the citizens of the state, there is no how the budget will be formulated and implemented without the contributions of the people within the state. So, that is what we want to do, but we are going to achieve this through the CSO and CBO organizations who will serve as representatives of the general citizens of the state” he said
