By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
Towards improved citizens participation in budget processes and implementation in Bauchi State, a two days orientation engagement meeting on mainstreaming citizens needs in budgets has commenced in Bauchi, the State Capital.
The orientation meeting was organised by the USAID funded State Accountability, Transparency, and Effectiveness (USAID State2State) Activity with over 30 select participants drawn from Local Government Area’s departments/units of Primary Healthcare, Basic Education and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the State.
In a welcome address at the commencement of the meeting held at Hazibal Hotel Conference Hall Bauchi, USAID State2State Team Lead (STL) Rabi Ekele thanked the participants for honouring the invitation to attend the orientation meeting.
Ekele informed the participants that Bauchi State Government has demonstrated its commitment to adopting a bottom-up participatory budget process and that USAID State2State has supported the State to adopt the use of Community Charter of Demands (CCD) document in the State budget process for a more responsive and inclusive state budget.
While commending the zeal and enthusiasm demonstrated by the LG personnel, CSOs and CBOs in championing the institutionalization of CCD document in capturing citizens needs in the State budget, the STL said that the orientation meeting is designed to galvanized the participants to facilitate the tracking of the implementation of the CCD projects included in the State 2024 budget.
Ekele, who was represented by USAID State2State’s community engagement and capacity building specialist, Habila Salem further said that the session would also look at the prospect of early use of the CCD document in the 2025 State and LG budget processes.
Highlighting the objective of the orientation meeting, community engagement and capacity building (CECB) specialist, Habila Salem said that theĀ purpose of the CCD orientation is to enhance the capacity of LGAs and CSOs to effectively drive the adoption and use of CCD in the upcoming 2025 local government budget process as well as effectively track ongoing CCD projects implementation in Bauchi, Adamawa, and Gombe States.
According to Salem, the CCD orientation specifically seeks to achieve the following specific aims/objectives:
1- Enhance participantsā knowledge, understanding and skills on the use of CCDĀ instruments as part of an all-inclusive LGA budget process.
2- Enhance participantsā Knowledge and understanding on inclusive CCD process and effective citizen engagement and participation in LGA budget process.
3- Identify likely issues/challenges and make recommendations for effective adoption, use and institutionalization of the use of the CCD in LGA budget process and tracking of CCD projects in the state and
4- Develop action plan for the adoption, use and institutionalization of CCD template in 2025 LGA budget process and review implementation of action plan for tracking CCD projects in the state.
Our correspondent reports that CCD is a written document that contains the development needs of communities listed in order of priority needs of the community as agreed by all groups within the community.