The Oyo State Government has trained 250 budget officers from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on the use and application of the National Chart of Accounts (NCoA) template for budget preparation and implementation.
At a three-day sensitisation workshop on the NCoA held in Ibadan, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Ayobami Ojo, said a credible budget was essential for the effective implementation of government policies, programmes and projects.
Ojo said the training was organised to address identified gaps in budget preparation and strengthen the technical capacity of budget officers.
He noted that effective application of the NCoA would promote uniformity in budget preparation, improve budget monitoring and enhance accountability in the management of public resources.
The commissioner said the 2027 budget estimates must align with the Economic and Fiscal Update (EFU), Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP), Budget Policy Statement (BPS) and Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2027–2029, as well as the state’s “Omituntun 2.0” roadmap and Agenda 2040.
He said such alignment would help ensure that public resources were directed towards sustainable development and improved welfare of the people.
The Executive Assistant to the Governor on Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Ghafar Bello, commended Governor Seyi Makinde for his support for the ministry.
Bello said collaboration between project execution and economic planning had contributed to improved coordination in the state’s planning and budgeting processes.
Speaking on the importance of the training, the Social Policy Manager, UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Mohammed Okorie, said UNICEF was supporting Oyo State through the EU-UNICEF project to strengthen budgeting practices and ensure that child-focused interventions across MDAs were adequately captured in the state budget.
Okorie urged MDAs to mainstream child-focused issues into their plans and programmes, irrespective of their sectors, with particular attention to adolescents, especially adolescent girls, and children with disabilities.
He said government expenditure remained a sustainable source of financing programmes aimed at improving the welfare of children and families.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Julius Ayanleke, appreciated UNICEF for its collaboration and support.
He urged participants to apply the knowledge gained to improve budget preparation and implementation across their respective MDAs.
