Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under the Kano Budget Working Group, in partnership with the Kano State Ministry of Planning and Budget and Bridge Connect Africa Initiative, have conducted citizen town hall consultations across five clusters to gather development priorities for possible inclusion in the state’s 2027 budget.
The consultations, held in the Kano, Gaya, Karaye, Rano and Bichi clusters, brought together residents, community representatives and other stakeholders to identify, discuss and prioritise pressing needs in their communities.
The exercise was conducted in line with Section 10(3) of the Kano State Public Financial Management Law, 2020, which provides for the collation of citizens’ inputs for possible incorporation into the state budget.
The consultations provided residents with a platform to directly communicate their priorities and participate in the budget preparation process.
The Kano Cluster was led by Salisu Yusif, supported by Garzali Ungwaggo; Gaya by Dr Abdussalam Kani, supported by Idris Nuhu Gaya; Karaye by Sagir Chedi, supported by Ismail Kanye; Rano by Akibu Hamisu; and Bichi by Safiya Bichi.
Representatives of the Ministry of Planning and Budget and Bridge Connect Africa Initiative participated in the five consultations, delivering goodwill messages and stressing the importance of inclusive citizen engagement, participatory planning and responsive budgeting.
Participants were taken through the budget cycle, including planning, preparation, legislative review and approval, assent, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Facilitators stressed that citizen participation should continue beyond the submission of proposals to monitoring implementation and assessing the impact of government projects.
The discussions focused on key sectors including education, healthcare, agriculture and livelihoods, infrastructure, water and sanitation, environment and climate resilience.
Participants were encouraged to identify realistic and community-prioritised needs capable of delivering meaningful improvements in residents’ lives.
At the end of the exercise, citizens’ recommendations were collated across the five clusters.
The submissions included demands for improved schools and healthcare services, agricultural support, roads and other infrastructure, water supply and sanitation, as well as environmental interventions.
Gender-responsive priorities also featured prominently, with participants identifying challenges affecting women, men, young people and vulnerable groups differently.
The consultations equally generated climate and environmental concerns, particularly flooding, environmental degradation, water challenges, climate vulnerability, livelihoods and the need to strengthen community resilience.
The Kano Budget Working Group said the inclusion of gender and climate considerations would help promote a budget that is participatory, inclusive and responsive to the social, economic and environmental realities confronting communities.
It stressed that the submission of citizens’ priorities was only the beginning of the accountability process, urging citizens and CSOs to remain engaged throughout the budget cycle.
“Citizens and civil society organisations must remain engaged to follow the journey from budget allocation to fund releases, implementation, completion and actual impact on communities,” the Working Group said.
It noted that budget tracking would enable citizens and CSOs to determine whether approved projects were funded and implemented according to specifications, while promoting value for money, reducing waste and duplication, and strengthening accountability in public expenditure.
The Working Group commended the citizens who participated in the consultations, saying their contributions demonstrated communities’ willingness to engage constructively with government in addressing development challenges.
It also acknowledged the support of Bridge Connect Africa Initiative, with funding from Malala Fund, for contributing to the successful implementation of the consultations.
The citizens’ inputs from the five clusters will now be consolidated, categorized by sector and location, prioritised and reviewed from gender, social inclusion, environmental and climate perspectives before being presented as citizens’ recommendations for possible consideration in the 2027 Kano State Budget.
The Working Group called for sustained collaboration among government institutions, CSOs, communities, development partners and other stakeholders to ensure that the state budget reflects the priorities and aspirations of the people.
It also urged citizens and CSOs to monitor approved interventions, document progress or gaps, and provide constructive feedback to relevant authorities throughout the budget cycle.
The Kano Budget Working Group reaffirmed its commitment to participatory budgeting, fiscal transparency, accountability, citizen engagement and responsive public financial management in the state.
“The budget is not simply a government document; it is a public resource-allocation instrument designed to respond to the needs and aspirations of the people.
The voices gathered through these townhall meetings must therefore remain part of the conversation from budget preparation through implementation and evaluation,” the Working Group said.
Credit: Dr. Abdussalam Muhammad Kani
