Group trains 40 community monitoring teams, CDC champions in project tracking

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

A group under the auspices of Connected Development, (CODE), has trained forty community Monitoring Teams, (CMTs) and Community Development Charter, (CDC) champions to build their capacity in constituency project tracking in Kaduna State.
The State Team Lead of CODE, Muhammed Abubakar, in his opening remarks at the training held in Kaduna yesterday, said the object of the training is to equip the CMTs and the CDC champions with needed operational skills and information to effectively track constituency projects.
He said in the last three years MacArthur Foundation supported the “Deepening Citizens’ Interest in Government Spending and Addressing Accompanying Corrupt Practices (DeSPAAC)” project.
Muhammed said the CMTs and the CDC champions consisted of community structures and existing “Follow the Money Champions’’ with equitable representation of women and men in the state.
He added that the training will also equip participants with Project report writing, tracking, as well as monitoring.
He identified some of the community structures as Community-Based Organisations, Community-Based Associations, religious and traditional leaders, as well as women and youth groups.
“The CMTs will be empowered to develop mechanisms to ensure that budgeted constituency projects reflect their needs, access data about projects appropriated for, and provide effective oversight on the implementation of such projects in their communities.
“After the training, the CMTs will organise community outreaches and engage duty bearers, via town hall meetings, and strategic advocacy visits on community needs and government appropriations.
“They will be expected to step down the skills acquired to other community members, and integrate local communications systems and other available media platforms,” he said.
The participants lauded CODE for enhancing their capacity and training them on tracking and monitoring constituency projects funding for social accountability.
The CMTs who cut across various LGAs in Kaduna, said the training would enhance their quest for demanding accountability from their legislators to properly enjoy the dividends of democracy across their various communities.