By Ibrahim Abubakar
MAIDUGURI — Oxfam and partners have launched a capacity-building workshop for budget officers across Borno State’s 27 local government areas, backed by the German government and the European Union.
The training, supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with co-funding from the EU, targets directors and heads of budget departments.
Oxfam Project Coordinator Samuel Lashom said the programme goes beyond technical training on the National Chart of Accounts (NCoA). It also covers inclusive and participatory budgeting, gender-responsive budgeting, and social protection.
“We are equipping budget heads not only to use the NCoA, but to ensure citizens’ priorities, especially those of vulnerable groups, are reflected in local government budgets,” Lashom said.
He noted that the workshop is particularly critical for Borno given the humanitarian and security challenges that have strained service delivery at the grassroots.
According to Lashom, the NCoA is a standardized budgeting framework approved by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for use across the country’s 774 LGAs.
A key outcome expected from the workshop is the adoption of a communiqué recommending a Borno-specific social protection budgeting code. Organisers say the code is designed to strengthen service delivery and foster inclusive development across the LGAs.
“The goal is to build the capacity of local government to prepare transparent, accountable, and people-centred budgets that address the needs of vulnerable communities,” Lashom added.
The initiative forms part of Oxfam’s broader work with GIZ, BMZ, and the EU to improve public financial management and citizen participation in governance in Nigeria.
