Are you interested in participating in the ongoing 23 local governments’ 2022 budget formulation process in Kaduna state? Then the budget call circular, which serves as a guide for the formulation of expenditure estimates, should be of great use for you. Below are some key things you should know from the document.

✓ Local governments are advised to ensure judicious allocation of resources base on the fact that Councils budget has been dependent on the statutory allocation from the federation account which has been dwindling over the years.

✓ Local governments are to make realistic 2022-2024 recurrent expenditure using the multi-year costing template.

✓ Only ongoing projects that are unlikely to be completed and paid for in 2021 are to be captured in the 2022 budget.

✓ New projects are not to be integrated into the 2022 budget except priority projects of utmost importance.

✓ Local governments are advised to develop action plan on quarterly basis for both recurrent and capital expenditures.

✓All staff on the local government payroll including in coming elected and appointed officials of the local government Councils must be properly in the draft proposal (The Staff list must be an updated version from the ongoing rightsizing and restructuring exercise)

✓Total certified personnel cost must be considered including annual increment, promotions, leave grants, retirement and all other approved allowances.

✓ Recurrent expenditure are to be reasonable which must be 40% of total budget size.

✓ Local governments are to make realistic allocation of resources to development projects (ongoing projects should be given first consideration).

✓ Projects/programs by donors’ agencies/development partners (if any) should be taken into consideration while drawing up the budget.

✓ Capital expenditure proposal must not be less than 60% of the total budget.

✓ Local government Councils are to make its budget drafting process participatory, which means COMMUNITIES AND ALL RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS in the local government MUST BE CONSULTED during the budget preparation. Key budget tools (LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENT PLAN and COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CHARTER) be put to use.

✓ Final day for all LGCs to submit detailed proposal to Ministry for Local Government Affairs is 3rd September, 2021.

CALL TO ACTION

✓ CDC Champions should not generate new community prioritized needs but rather review that of last year and reprioritize.

✓ Community stakeholders should engage the local government Overseer to advocate and lobby for their projects to be captured.

✓ Stakeholders should also submit their prioritized needs to legislative members representing them at the Kaduna State House of Assembly and hold them accountable until the needs are captured in the 2022 budget of the respective local governments.

OGPKaduna

CALPED

Y.I.Goje