Kano, UNICEF Strengthen Budget Tracking for Nutrition, Child Protection
Kola Oyelere, Kano
The Kano State Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has intensified efforts to strengthen budget tracking and accountability for nutrition, social protection and child protection programmes through a budget-tagging initiative.
The initiative is designed to improve the identification, monitoring and tracking of public funds allocated to the three critical sectors to ensure effective utilisation of resources and better outcomes for children and vulnerable households.
The Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Alhaji Musa Suleiman Shanono, disclosed this during a budget-tagging session for the programmes in Dutse, Jigawa State, on Sunday.
Shanono, who was represented by the Director of Planning in the ministry, Alhaji Ismail Kabir, said the exercise would strengthen the capacity of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to identify, track and monitor budgetary allocations for the programmes.
He explained that the initiative would consolidate relevant budget lines across implementing MDAs, making it easier for stakeholders to monitor approved allocations, expenditure and programme implementation.
According to him, the state is currently consolidating its 2027 budget, which will include provisions for nutrition, social protection and child protection, although the specific allocations for the sectors have yet to be determined.
He said the budget-tagging system would enable stakeholders to assess funding and implementation progress in the three sectors, both individually and collectively.
The commissioner noted that limited resources had made it difficult for the government to address the challenges facing the sectors alone, urging development partners, including UNICEF, to provide additional support.
He also called on development partners to coordinate their interventions with the ministry and clearly define their areas of specialisation to prevent duplication of efforts and ensure better results.
Shanono said the ministry was strengthening coordination among relevant MDAs and development partners to improve programme implementation and ensure the effective utilisation of available resources.
He added that the ministry regularly engaged relevant agencies to assess progress and was preparing for a third-quarter review meeting on nutrition and social protection programmes in the state.
Speaking on the initiative, Kabir said the budget-tagging exercise, supported by UNICEF, would ensure that relevant programmes were clearly identified in the state budget, enabling the government to make targeted allocations to address malnutrition, reduce poverty and protect children’s rights.
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He said the initiative would promote efficient resource allocation and contribute to improving the socio-economic well-being of residents.
Earlier, UNICEF Social Policy Specialist, Fatimah Musa, said the organisation was supporting the Kano State Government’s budget coding and tagging initiative for nutrition, social protection and child protection programmes.
Musa described the initiative as an important step towards improving the visibility and tracking of public resources allocated to the sectors.
She said budget tagging would enable the government to determine the level of funding allocated to the programmes, monitor expenditure, identify funding gaps and strengthen accountability for results.
According to her, the initiative would also promote evidence-based budgeting and help ensure that public resources were directed towards improving the nutrition, protection and overall well-being of children and vulnerable households.
She reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to continued collaboration with the Kano State Government to achieve tangible results for children and vulnerable groups.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Kano State Social Protection Agency (KASPA), Fatima Abubakar, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to strengthening social protection programmes to improve the living conditions of vulnerable persons.
Abubakar said the programmes were aimed at reducing poverty and inequality, protecting vulnerable households and ensuring that disadvantaged groups had access to essential support services.
She stressed that effective
implementation of social protection programmes required adequate funding, appropriate budgetary allocations and collaboration among relevant MDAs and development partners.
The director-general urged stakeholders to support the government’s efforts to strengthen social protection systems and ensure that interventions reached their intended beneficiaries across the state.
In his remarks, social protection expert Salisu Yusuf said the Kano State Ministry of Budget and Planning, with support from UNICEF, had facilitated the creation of budget lines for social protection programmes targeting poor and vulnerable groups.
He said the initiative involved relevant ministries, departments and agencies in mobilising resources for existing and proposed programmes.
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Yusuf added that the state had also developed a Social Protection Policy and drafted a bill for the establishment of a Social Protection Agency, with support from ActionAid and other stakeholders.
He said the programmes were designed to reduce poverty and inequality, improve living conditions, protect vulnerable groups and promote inclusive and sustainable development.