By Murtala Muhammad
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi Field Office has conducted a capacity-building for twenty five young people in Bauchi State on child-focused budgeting and advocacy.
The training acquainted young advocates with knowledge of budgeting processes and strategies for influencing resource allocation towards child-centred sectors.
The young advocates, known as U-Reporters were exposed to practical approaches on how to engage policymakers and mobilise stakeholders to prioritise investments in sectors impacting children and youth.
They were also equipped on how to contribute meaningfully to public discourse on development planning, budgeting and tracking of project execution by government at all levels to ensure good governance.
In a paper presentation entitled “Concept of Child Budgeting”, UNICEF’s Social Policy Specialist, Dr Yusuf Auta emphasised the need for the U-Reporters to lend their voices in ensuring equitable resource allocation to improve child welfare in Bauchi State.
On his part, representative of the State Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination, Abubakar Sadiq Usman stated that Child-Focused Budget directly contribute to the survival, development, protection, and participation of children in government policies and programmes.
Radio Nigeria reports that the training exposed the participants to ensuring transparency, accountability and inclusiveness as well as holding government accountable for their needs and that of children to be met at local, state and national levels.
The training brought together youth, journalists and government representatives committed to advocate child rights and development needs.
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