UNICEF, Kaduna collaborate to prioritise children in budget planning

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is partnering with the Kaduna State Budget and Planning Commission to ensure children’s needs are prioritised in the state’s budget process.

UNICEF’s Social Policy Officer, Kaduna Field Office, Mrs. Wakidara Akila, disclosed this on Friday in Kano during a five-day workshop for the state’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) Technical Implementation Team. The session also covers the Medium Term Sector Strategy (MTSS) and Programme-Based Budgeting.

Akila said the training aims to strengthen the state’s capacity to integrate child-focused priorities — such as health, education, water, sanitation, and social protection — into budget planning and implementation.

“Our goal is to support the state government in aligning fiscal policies with the welfare of children. Budgetary allocations should reflect the rights and needs of the most vulnerable,” she stated, adding that adequate provision for children’s services is vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and improving overall well-being.

Kaduna State Commissioner for Planning and Budget, Mr. Mukhtar Ahmed, explained that the workshop was designed to equip project officers and stakeholders with skills for effective programme-based budgeting.

“In governance, a good budget starts with proper planning. This process brings officers together to review the budget framework and ensure best practices,” Ahmed said.

The state’s Director of Budget, Malam Idris Suleiman, added that the session was intended to align the budget process with government priorities, particularly child-related programmes.

He noted that after a recent consultative meeting with civil society organisations on the draft MTEF, the government decided to hold the workshop to incorporate emerging child-focused issues before finalising the budget framework.