By Suleiman Adamu, Sokoto
As a build up to effectively drive a responsive collaboration on strategic action plan for the benefit of citizens , the Sokoto state government in synergy with UNICEF through the state Ministry for Budget and Economic Planning has organised a two day capacity strengthening initiative workshop for its MDAs planning , monitoring and evaluation officials.
The workshop declared open by Dr Abubakar Mohammed Zayyana, the state Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning was conducted at the Azbir Hotel, Birnin Kebbi with key state and UNICEF officials from Abuja and the Chief Field Office, Unicef Sokoto, Mr. Michael Juma in attendance.
Dr Zayyana noted that planning was a basic and fundamental requisite that drove policies and programmes for success.
” This is why it is necessary to facilitate the drive for improved capacity strengthening to effectively ensure efficient service delivery that would impact the process of developing its Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), State Development Plan (SDP), and 2026 budget proposal”, he stated while appreciating UNICEF for the various intervention support to the state development initiatives.
Also, the State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Professor Ahmad Ladan Ala, noted that the line officers of the MDAs a backbone to the state’s growth and development hence, the need to brace them for effective data collection, harmonization, and presentation to policymakers for the benefit of citizens.
Briefly speaking, UNICEF Chief of Monitoring and Evaluation , Abuja,Mr. Wayne Bacale, dwelled on the objectives and expectations of the workshop emphasizing the need for participants to actively participate and share ideas and expertise during the session to achieve the desired objectives assuring that UNICEF would always support the state to impact it citizens.
In separate remarks a Director, Alhaji Sani Abdullahi and Official of a CSO, , Comrade Bello Gwadabawa noted the importance of the workshop while acknowledging the collaboration with UNICEF as an encouraging step towards enhancing productivity through such capacity-building initiatives.
