Kaduna Moves to Close Gaps in Nutrition Financing Accountability
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
Concerned by persistent gaps in tracking nutrition spending and the need for stronger accountability mechanisms, stakeholders in Kaduna State have begun a two-day capacity-building workshop on the National Nutrition Budget Tracking System (NNBTS) aimed at improving transparency and oversight of nutrition financing.
The workshop, organized by the Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Kaduna State Chapter, in collaboration with partners, brings together budget officers from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) implementing nutrition programmes in the state, as well as members of CS-SUNN.
Speaking at the opening of the training, the Permanent Secretary of the Planning and Budget Commission and Chairman of the State Committee on Food and Nutrition, Mukhtar Abdullahi, said the workshop comes at a critical time when there is increasing demand for transparency, accountability and evidence-based decision-making in the management of public resources.
According to him, nutrition remains a key driver of human capital development and sustainable economic growth, making it imperative to effectively track and utilize resources allocated to nutrition programmes.
Abdullahi noted that the National Nutrition Budget Tracking System provides a platform for monitoring nutrition investments, tracking budget releases and generating data to support informed policy and planning decisions.
He added that institutionalizing the system would strengthen budget performance and help ensure that nutrition interventions reach intended beneficiaries.
He also commended CS-SUNN and its partners for supporting Kaduna State’s efforts to strengthen nutrition governance and accountability through capacity-building initiatives.
Earlier, the State Coordinator of CS-SUNN Kaduna State Chapter, Celestina Ngare Ayim, outlined the objectives of the training, stressing that the workshop was designed to address challenges associated with monitoring nutrition financing and promoting evidence-based advocacy.
Ayim explained that the National Nutrition Budget Tracking System was developed to support effective tracking of nutrition budget allocations, releases and utilization, while equipping stakeholders with the skills needed to generate reliable data for decision-making.
She said the training would build the capacity of budget officers and key stakeholders on the use of the platform, deepen their understanding of its features and use cases, and strengthen their ability to analyse and interpret nutrition-related budget data.
According to her, improving stakeholders’ capacity to monitor nutrition financing will contribute to better tracking of government commitments, stronger accountability and improved alignment of financial resources with nutrition priorities.
Participants are expected to gain practical skills that will enhance oversight of nutrition spending and support efforts to ensure that public investments in nutrition translate into better health and nutrition outcomes for citizens across Kaduna State.
