Stakeholders from Jigawa, Kano and Katsina states have advocated a better and more sustainable budgeting system that favours child development in their respective states.

This is part of the recommendations of a communiqué issued to journalists on Sunday in Kaduna at the end of a one-day stakeholder policy dialogue.

The communiqué was signed by the Katsina state commissioner for budget and economic planning, Bello Kagara, and the representatives of the two other states.

The dialogue was supported by the United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF), Kano Field Office.

The stakeholders, in the communiqué, demanded that the states should provide practicable and sustainable budget benchmarks favourable for child development.

“Activities of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on the social sector’s budget should be periodically reviewed to enhance better performance.

“All the states need to have a children’s social register to strengthen resource allocation; advocacy to legislators should be intensified on issues related to child development budgeting.

“The state should focus on result-based budgeting rather than activity budgeting and strengthen the capacity of legislatures and executives on result-based budgeting in the states.

“The states should also have a Social Protection Agency with a Child Development Unit and school feeding programmes should be revived, sustained and enhanced,” the stakeholders recommended.

According to them, a law should be enacted to legalise the payment of one percent of contracts awarded to contractors for child enhancement services.

“Town hall meetings should be convened periodically to discuss child-related issues. States to encourage sensitisation for improved partnership in promoting child development.

“States should also be encouraged to map out and develop strategies to improve internally generated revenue (IGR) so as to have more funds for child-friendly budgets,” they also recommended.

The participants at the dialogue included officials from the state houses of assemblies, ministries of budget and planning and civil society organisations (CSOs), among other stakeholders from the three states.

(NAN)