Isiyaku Ahmed
Stakeholders in Kaduna State have called for stronger legislative backing, improved digital inclusion, and enhanced fiscal transparency to deepen participatory budgeting and strengthen grassroots governance across the state.
The call formed part of a communiqué issued jointly signed by Waniya Darky Ilu, Head of Participatory Governance and Sustainable Development at the Civic Impact for Sustainable Development Foundation, and Seth Luke Kuyet, Civil Society Co-Chair of the Strengthening Participatory Budgeting Process under OGP Kaduna SAP III, at the end of the Civic Space Policy Dialogue 0.2 and the commemoration of 15 years of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), held in Kaduna on May 20, 2026.
The hybrid dialogue, themed “Participatory Budgeting: Reflect, Rethink and Strategize,” was convened by the Civic Impact for Sustainable Development Foundation in collaboration with the OGP Technical Working Group on Strengthening Participatory Budgeting, Citizens Centre for Inclusive Development and Sustained Initiative, the Office of the Auditor General for Kaduna State, Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), and Ihifix.
According to the communiqué, the event brought together 57 participants drawn from civil society organizations, government institutions, academia, media, BudgIT Nigeria, PLSI, and OGP Nigeria to review Kaduna State’s OGP journey and assess progress in participatory budgeting reforms.
Stakeholders commended the Kaduna State Government for allocating N100 million to each of the 255 wards to address citizen-identified priorities, describing the move as a major milestone in grassroots fiscal inclusion.
The dialogue also praised the state’s sustained commitment to public financial management reforms, transparency, and accountability, while recognizing the technical support provided by PLSI in strengthening Kaduna’s accountability framework.
Stakeholders further applauded Kaduna State’s improved ranking in the 2025 Subnational Audit Efficacy Index, where the state placed 13th with a 44 per cent score, rising from 15th position in 2024 and 20th in 2023.
The communiqué highlighted the growing role of the Community Development Charter (CDC) as an effective grassroots needs-assessment mechanism that channels community priorities into local and state government budgets.
The stakeholders noted that the Local Government Accountability Mechanism (KAD-LGAM), supported by PERL since 2019, had expanded from 10 to all 23 local government areas in Kaduna State, thereby improving trust between citizens and local authorities.
They also observed that nearly 50 per cent of local government capital expenditure budgets are now influenced by community submissions through the CDC process.
Despite the progress recorded, stakeholders expressed concern over persistent challenges in budget implementation, particularly weak connections between approved citizen priorities and actual fund releases.
The communiqué identified denial of access to project documents for civic monitors, invisible budgeted projects, low digital literacy, and weak feedback systems on government portals as major obstacles to effective citizen participation.
Among the recommendations made were the institutionalization of dedicated funding for OGP reforms, urgent passage of laws to safeguard participatory budgeting, improved grassroots digital literacy, and the integration of the Citizen Delivery Tracker (CDT) application into the state’s budget management system.
The stakeholders also urged civil society organizations to strengthen evidence-based advocacy and develop rigorous scorecards to assess budget implementation performance.
They further called on the Kaduna State Government to intensify domestic revenue mobilization and prioritize timely releases for citizen-nominated projects captured in the 2026 budget.
In their resolutions, stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to implementing Kaduna State’s Third OGP State Action Plan.
They pledged continued advocacy to elevate the Community Development Charter framework as a model for federal constituency projects nationwide.
