From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
A group under the auspice of Kaduna Social Protection Accountability Coalition (KADSPAC) is partnering Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Kaduna to track the fourth quarter of 2021 and first quarter of 2022 budget performance of Social Protection Interventions in the state.
The Chairperson of KADSPAC, Jessica Bartholomew, stated this in the ongoing 2-Day Budget Dialogue on Social Protection Interventions in Kaduna state holding in Zaria. She said the dialogue, supported by Save the Children International, SCI, was organized to ensure effective implementation of Social Protection Interventions by tracking budget releases, cash-backing and utilization.
Jessica also added that KADSPAC will continue to prioritize tracking of public resources allocated in the annual budget for relevant MDAs to ensure appropriate implementation that will benefit the poor and vulnerable households in Kaduna state.
In his presentation, the Social Protection Specialist of SCI, George Akor, said Kaduna state has the capacity to fund Social Protection sustainability.
According to him the state has N16.6 Billion in 2022 which is N600 M above what was planned for 2021.
Akor however, said the deficit in the 2021 budget is striking, according to him N128Bn was budgeted for SP implementation plan framework and only N9.1B was spent leaving a deficit of N96.5bn
Participants also raised concerns on budget realism and the State’s capacity to sustainably fund social protection interventions. The issue of budget releases not translating to cash backing, which is hindering the capacity of MDAs to effectively implement the interventions, was extensively discussed.
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