Oxfam & Partners trains Borno council budget officers on inclusive governance

Oxfam & Partners Trains Borno Council Budget Officers on Inclusive Governance

From Umar Dankano, Yola.

In its continued improved capacity building drive, the Oxfam and partners including the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and funding from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development(BMZ), and co-funding from European Union(EU) has trained budget officers across the 27 local government areas of Borno State.

Oxfam Project Coordinator, Samuel Lashom while speaking at the training said that the training aims to strengthen budget planning, improve transparency, and promote inclusive governance at the grassroots level.

Lashom, stated that the programme targets directors and heads of budget departments, equipping them with the technical knowledge needed to effectively implement the National Chart of Accounts (NCoA).

He emphasized that, the NCoA is a standardized budgeting framework approved by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for adoption across the country’s 774 local government councils.

“We are training directors and sectional heads of budget departments not only on the use of the National Chart of Accounts, but also on inclusive and participatory budgeting, gender-responsive budgeting, and social protection, so that citizens’ priorities are reflected in local government budgets,” Lashom stated.

He explained that the workshop also focuses on promoting participatory planning, gender-responsive budgeting, and the integration of social protection measures into local government budgets, particularly in response to the humanitarian and security challenges facing Borno State.

Lashom further disclosed that the training is expected to enhance the capacity of local government budget managers to prepare transparent, accountable, and people-centred budgets capable of addressing the needs of vulnerable communities.

“At the end of the workshop, participants are expected to adopt a communiqué recommending the introduction of a context-specific social protection budgeting code aimed at strengthening service delivery and fostering inclusive development across the state’s local government areas,” he added.

The initiative forms part of Oxfam’s broader efforts to support accountable governance and improve public financial management in Nigeria through enhanced citizen participation and evidence-based budgeting.