UNICEF partners Anambra on increased budgetary allocation for children’s welfare
yarkarkara
By Vincent Ujumadu
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is partnering with the Anambra State Government to improve budgetary allocations to sectors directly impacting children’s welfare.
At a training workshop for heads of planning in key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Awka, discussions focused on enhancing resource allocation to meet developmental goals.
About 36 participants drawn from the Ministries of Budget and Economic Planning, Youth Development, Women Affairs, Finance, Health, Agriculture, Education, and Local Government, among others, attended the workshop.
A UNICEF Consultant, Dr. Sola Omoju, explained that UNICEF has remained a critical development partner to Nigeria at both federal and state levels, supporting initiatives on education, health, nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and child protection.
“UNICEF is supporting budget planners to link expenditures to children’s needs in key areas of the state’s annual budget. Over the years, allocations to education, health, and other child-impact sectors have not been commensurate with expectations. That is why UNICEF decided to provide technical support to selected states, including Anambra,” Omoju said.
He stressed that the goal was not to impose figures on states but to build the capacity of civil servants to better prioritize children’s needs in budget planning. He added that in the next three years, the impact of such efforts would reflect positively in the state’s development outcomes.
The Principal Planning Officer in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Chinedu Nwankwo, reviewed and updated the state’s key policy documents: the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Medium-Term Sector Strategy (MTSS).
According to him, the MTEF provides a three-year government expenditure plan, while the MTSS outlines the goals, objectives, and strategies of specific sectors. He described both as “critical initiatives that improve performance, address sector challenges, and promote sustainable development.”
He commended UNICEF for its continuous support, assuring that the collaboration would strengthen sectoral growth and development.
Also speaking, the UNICEF focal person in the Ministry, Orji Obiananma, said the workshop aimed to align plans with state priorities, enhance resource allocation and accountability, and improve overall budget planning.
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