UNICEF, Bauchi Govt Train U-Reporters To Advocate For Child-Focused Budgeting

From Paul Orude Bauchi

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bauchi Field Office, in collaboration with the Bauchi State Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning, and Multilateral Coordination, has organised a one -day capacity-building workshop for U-Reporters to advocate for child-sensitive budgeting in the state.

The training,  which held on Thursday at Hazibal Hotel, Bauchi, aimed to equip young Nigerians with the knowledge and skills to understand government budgeting processes and champion policies that prioritise children’s welfare.

Speaking at the event, Opeyemi Olagunju, Communication Specialist for UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, stressed that government budgets significantly impact citizens’ lives—especially children and youth.

“Unfortunately, young people are often excluded from budget discussions and decision-making processes,” Olagunju noted. 

“To address this gap, we are building the capacity of U-Reporters in Bauchi State to understand how budgets are created and implemented, and how they affect children and youth”

He added that empowering young advocates with budget literacy would enable them to promote budget priorities that support the rights and well-being of children in their communities.

Delivering a paper titled “Introduction to Government Budgeting: Overview of Public Budget Formation and Implementation at State and Local Levels,” a resource person, Sophie Bako, emphasized the importance of effective budgeting to improve the welfare of children.

“Budgeting is not just about allocating money—it is a vital tool for economic planning, resource management, and delivering public services,” she explained.

“Budgeting also plays a key role in achieving national socio-economic goals such as poverty reduction, economic growth, and improved welfare.”

Bako highlighted that budgeting at the grassroots level facilitates development and encourages democratic accountability through citizen participation. 

“A well-planned budget enhances service delivery in health, education, agriculture, water, and other key sectors,” she said.

Speaking in  a paper entitled  Concept of  Child Focused Budgeting “, Dr. Yusuf Auta,  Social Policy Specialist for  UNICEF, described budget as the most powerful tool available to governments to invest in children and address income inequality and poverty.

“Budgeting for children is both a process and an outcome—it prioritizes children’s interests through deliberate policies and financial allocations that promote their survival, protection, and development,” he said.

He urged the U-Reporters to demand clear commitments from government towards child-friendly budgeting, including increased investment in health, education, and social protection.

“Budgets must be designed to deliver results for children. This requires adequate political will, pro-child legislation, transparent processes, and effective implementation,” Auta stressed.

He further called on the participants to advocate for the allocation and timely release of at least 15% and 26% of the annual budgets of the UNICEF, Bauchi Govt Train U-Reporters to Advocate for Child-Focused Budgeting and local governments to the health and education sectors respectively, as part of efforts to enhance human capital development in Bauchi State.

In his presentation ,  a representative from the ministry of Budget ,  Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination,bAnubakar Sadeeq Usman,  recommended for  the need for the government to increase domestic allocation to nutrition and social protection 

Usman also called  for institutionalised child budge raging and performance monitoring  and the need for the introduction of capacity building  trainings to Ministries, Departments and Agencies   (MDAs) on child sensitive budgeting  tools.

While also recommending the  need to enhance data use for equity -based planning, Usman  opined that budgeting for children focused sectors  must be strategic, evidenced based and inclusive.

“With better planning , financing and monitoring , the state has made progress in allocations to education and health,” he said