The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it is working with the Kaduna State Budget and Planning Commission to prioritise children’s needs in the state.

The UNICEF Social Policy Officer, Kaduna Field Office, Wakidara Akila, said this on Friday in Kano at a five-day workshop.

The workshop is for the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) Technical Implementation Team on MTEF, Medium Term Sector Strategy (MTSS) and Programme-Based Budgeting.

She said the training was aimed at strengthening the ministry’s capacity to integrate child-focused priorities into budget planning and implementation.

According to her, the focus areas include health, education, water, sanitation and social protection.

Ms Akila stated that UNICEF’s objective was to support the state government in aligning its fiscal policies with the welfare of children, adding that budgetary allocations should reflect the rights and needs of the most vulnerable.

She said adequate provision for children’s services in the budget was key to achieving sustainable development goals and improving the overall well-being of the state’s population.

The Commissioner for Planning and Budget Commission, Kaduna State, Mukhtar Ahmed, said the training was organised to equip project officers and other stakeholders with the skills needed for programme-based budgeting.

He said, “In governance, a good budget starts with proper planning. What we are doing today is part of that process, and we have brought together officers from the commission and other agencies to look at the nitty-gritty of the budget process.’’

Mr Ahmed said the review of MTEF, MTSS and programme-based budgeting was aimed at ensuring best practices, adding that the session would serve as a refresher for participants, save time, reduce errors and provide new insights into global standards.

Also speaking, the Director of Budget, Kaduna State, Idris Suleiman, said the session was to align the budget process with government priorities, particularly on children-related programmes.

He recalled that the state recently held a consultative meeting with civil society organisations where the draft MTEF was presented for review.

He stated, “With emerging issues that affect children, we decided to have this session before finalising the MTEF so that child-related activities can be incorporated into the budget.’’

(NAN)