Niger State has developed and presented the seventh budget of the future that will make the government’s finances more accessible and understandable for its citizens.
The Commissioner for Planning Commission, Mustapha Ndajiwo, gave the hint at the weekend while presenting the abridged version of the Citizen Budget to Governor Mohammed Bago at the Government House, Minna.
Ndajiwo maintained that the budget was a simplified version of the approved estimates presented in infographics for the citizens to clearly understand the intent of the government. It is one of the positive innovations adopted from the state’s participation in the Open Governance Partnership Initiative.
According to the commissioner, the advent of the Citizens’ Budget has brought a new dimension to the participation of citizens in governance, as it increased their understanding of the government’s finances (inflow and outflow), involvement in decision-making and implementation of the budget, thereby promoting transparency accountability and inclusiveness.
The present edition is the seventh in the series of citizens’ budgets produced by the state, which outlined all government expected revenues and their sources, including loans and grants.
Highlights of expenditure, both recurrent and capital, are also defined alongside government entities responsible for their process of coordination, thus increasing citizens’ awareness and giving them the power to engage in meaningful discussions with the government.
In pursuit of the transformation into building a new and sustainable Niger, the 2024 budget is focused on the following priority areas: Urban Renewal and Rural Transformation, Security of Lives and Property, Infrastructural Development, Agriculture and Food Security, Health and Education. Others are Water and Sanitation, Women and Children, Environmental Sustainability, and Special Needs People and Elderly Care among others.
