By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

Chairmen of the 23 Local Government Areas in Kaduna State have pledged to increase investments in health, education, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and child-focused programmes following a three-day Public Financial Management (PFM) workshop organised by the Kaduna State Government with support from UNICEF.

The workshop equipped the council chairmen with practical knowledge on budgeting, resource mobilisation, financial accountability and evidence-based planning, with a strong emphasis on improving outcomes for children and vulnerable communities.

Speaking at the end of the training on Wednesday in Kano, several chairmen said the workshop had reshaped their understanding of how prudent financial management could translate into better service delivery, even in the face of limited resources.

Chairman of Lere Local Government Area and Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kaduna State Chapter, Hon. Jafaru Ahmed, described the training as one of the most impactful he had attended.

He said the workshop demonstrated that development is not determined solely by the amount of money available, but by how effectively public resources are managed.

Ahmed pledged to prioritise health, education and community development, noting that Lere Local Government had already demonstrated its commitment to education by paying its counterpart funding obligations for the 2026 fiscal year.

Chairman of Soba Local Government, Hon. Mohammad Lawal Shehu, said participants had agreed on practical actions to improve the wellbeing of residents.

According to him, some councils committed to constructing additional primary healthcare centres, increasing investments in sanitation facilities, procuring delivery kits for pregnant women, and expanding interventions aimed at reducing maternal and child mortality.

Shehu also announced plans by Soba Local Government to sponsor between 20 and 30 students annually to study medicine as part of a long-term strategy to address the shortage of medical personnel in rural communities.

He added that local governments would work closely with development partners and government agencies to mobilise additional resources for implementing the commitments.

Chairman of Kajuru Local Government, Hon. Dauda Madaki, said the workshop had exposed council leaders to practical approaches for using data to guide budget decisions and improve development planning.

He pledged to strengthen investments in nutrition, healthcare, education and WASH, while increasing support for pregnant women through antenatal care programmes and the provision of delivery kits.

Madaki also said Kajuru would sustain budgetary provisions for nutrition and continue implementing reforms under the Open Government Partnership (OGP) to promote transparency, accountability and citizen participation.

He expressed confidence that measurable improvements would be recorded across local governments before the next performance review.

Across the interviews, the chairmen acknowledged that funding constraints remained a challenge but insisted that better planning, prudent financial management and stronger partnerships with organisations such as UNICEF and other development partners would enable them to deliver improved services.

They also committed to using the local government-specific data presented during the workshop to identify priority needs, reduce multidimensional child poverty, improve school enrolment and retention, strengthen primary healthcare, expand immunisation and maternal health services, and improve access to safe water and sanitation.

The chairmen unanimously described the workshop as a turning point for grassroots governance, promising to return to their councils with renewed commitment to transparent budgeting, accountable leadership and investments that directly improve the lives of women, children and vulnerable households.

The three-day workshop formed part of ongoing efforts by the Kaduna State Government and UNICEF to strengthen public financial management at the local government level and ensure that public resources are allocated more effectively to improve child welfare and accelerate sustainable development across the state’s 23 local government areas.