The Kano State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are strengthening budget tracking and accountability for nutrition, social protection and child protection programmes to improve services for children and vulnerable households.
The Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Alhaji Musa Suleiman Shanono, disclosed this during a budget-tagging session held in Dutse, Jigawa State.
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Shanono, represented by the Director of Planning in the ministry, Alhaji Ismail Kabir, said the initiative was designed to strengthen the capacity of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to identify, track and monitor budgetary allocations for the three sectors.
He explained that budget tagging would make it easier to track approved allocations, expenditure and programme implementation across relevant MDAs.
The commissioner said the state was consolidating its 2027 budget, including provisions for nutrition, social protection and child protection, although specific allocations were yet to be determined.
He noted that limited resources made collaboration with development partners essential, urging organisations supporting the sectors to coordinate their interventions with the ministry to avoid duplication of efforts.
Shanono added that the ministry was strengthening coordination among relevant agencies and preparing for a third-quarter review of nutrition and social protection programmes.
Kabir said the initiative, supported by UNICEF, would help the government identify priority programmes and make targeted allocations to address malnutrition, reduce poverty and protect children’s rights.
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Earlier, UNICEF Social Policy Specialist, Fatimah Musa, said budget tagging would improve the visibility of public spending, enable stakeholders to identify funding gaps and strengthen accountability for results.
She explained that the initiative would support evidence-based budgeting and ensure that available resources were directed towards improving the welfare of children and vulnerable households.
Musa reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to working with the Kano State Government to achieve measurable improvements in nutrition, child protection and social protection.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Kano State Social Protection Agency (KASPA), Fatima Abubakar, said effective social protection programmes required adequate funding, appropriate budgetary allocations and collaboration among government agencies and development partners.
She emphasised the need to strengthen interventions aimed at reducing poverty and inequality, protecting vulnerable households and expanding access to essential support services.
A social protection expert, Mr Salisu Yusuf, said the Ministry of Budget and Planning, with UNICEF’s support, had facilitated the creation of budget lines for programmes targeting poor and vulnerable groups.
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Yusuf added that the state had developed a Social Protection Policy and drafted a bill for the establishment of a Social Protection Agency, with support from ActionAid and other stakeholders.
He said the initiatives were aimed at reducing poverty and inequality, improving living conditions and promoting inclusive and sustainable development across Kano State.