Sokoto Partners with USAID State2State for Effective Budget Implementation

Ismail Umar, Sokoto

On Feb 14, 2024

The Sokoto state government has reiterated its commitment to partner with the United States Agency for International Development, (USAID) State2State Activity to ensure effective 2024 budget implementation of health, education and WASH sectors.

Economic Adviser to the Sokoto state Governor, Dr Bashir Achida, said this at the 2024 budget profiling and cash planning workshop in Sokoto.

Dr Achida applauded the efforts of State2State in organising the training for the state government officials to ensure proper implementation of the 2024 budget especially in the health, education and WASH sectors.

According to him, the training was in line with Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s 9-point smart agenda for the development of the state.

“This training would facilitate the efforts of government to streamline the 9-points smart agenda in to the budget to ensure proper implementation.

“I’m happy USAID state2state is helping with the training to equip government planning and finance officers with the basic know-how to be able to carry out the responsibility deligently at their various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) for sustainable development in the state,” he said.

The Economic Adviser assured participants that after the training, the government would ensure a follow up to step up measures to ensure effective implementation of the 2024 budget at various ministries departments and agencies.

In his remarks, the Director Budget, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Buhari Umar, said the training was a demand driven by the state government to acquaint new set of officials that were appointed to various MDAs due to transition.

“We are proactive in reaching to our partners like state2state to assist in the area of bringing those officials that are new on the same page with the prevailing system of cash management,” Umar noted.

He commended USAID state2state for always being there in Sokoto state to ensure public and financial management across all sectors of budget of MDAs in the state.

Also speaking, Mr Usman Faleye, a Public Financial Management Specialist with USAID State2state, said the workshop was organised in partnership with the state to profile budget, planning the implementation process for in-depth view and nature of expenditure of the budget period.

He added that the training would support government officials to track, project and actualise the required expenditure base on the revenue profile.

“With effective profiling, a sector is well positioned to know expectations at all level of implementation and understand wether there is need for adjustment.

“Budget implementation goes beyond instrument, because it has to do with conceptualisation framework, coordination, realistic of the budget and revenue base and commitments for effective implementation.

“The training provides an avenue to change the narrative in ensuring proper monitoring of budget Implementation in various MDAs of the state,”Mr Faleye noted.

SOKOTO USAID