North-East stakeholders identify funding gaps for women, children’s social needs

Stakeholders who attended North-East States Strategic Policy Dialogue on Social Budgeting for Child sensitive Sectors in Nigeria have identified key issues to include that the funding for Social Sector has been proven to be grossly inadequate, especially with the ever-increasing social needs for children and women in key sectors of Education, Health, Social Protection, Nutrition, and WASH.

The stakeholders made the submission in a communique issued at the end of the meeting held in Gombe Stating that budgetary allocations have increased in most states of the subregion at some points, and fluctuating at other points according to Budget Trend Analysis 2021-2024 – with some states budgeting close to the UN Benchmark.

The stakeholders also identified high mortality rates especially in newborns and stillbirths due to factors including human resource gaps, low investment and funding, burden of malnutrition, severe child food poverty, low iron and folic acid supplementation, and increasing household poverty, etc.

There are also Challenges with data management which lead to poor planning and Ineffective service delivery as well the prevailing economic situation in the country further compounded the poverty level, especially among women and children in the region.

Another issue is the rate of out-of-school children and low learning outcomes in the subregion which remains high despite efforts by governments as well as weak multi-sectoral buy-in and coordination in social service delivery outcomes for women and children.

The stakeholders however give key recommendations and next steps going forward to include that Government should make a commitment by increasing budgetary allocations and release by at least 2% annually to the social sector.

Also, there should be increased investment in human resources for health and upgrade of health facilities and investment in nutrition through matching funds for Nutrition Funding and strengthening of the States Bureau of Statistics, EMIS Offices, and National Health Demographic Survey (NDHIS).

The States should improve family support and empowerment through Conditional Cash Transfer, Farm inputs subsidy, soft loans to women, enrollment of poor and vulnerable into the contributory health care scheme, free education, second chance education, etc.

There should also be Establishment of Directorate /Agencies for Out-of-School Children scaling up of foundational literacy and numeracy and strengthening of multi-sectoral buy-in and coordination in social service delivery outcomes for women and children.

The stakeholders concluded that there was no doubt that the dialogue was timely and characterised by high level of enthusiasm and commitment among them as issues identified reflected the holistic landscape of the subregion, and commitments secured affirmed the promise to catalyze increased Public Funding for Child-Sensitive Sectors and Improved Social Service delivery outcomes especially in Education, Health, Social Protection, Nutrition and WASH across the six (6) North-East States: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe.

The Communiqué was endorsed by the Hon. Commissioner, Budget, Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination, Bauchi State, Hon. Comm. Budget & Economic Planning, Gombe State, Hon. Comm. Budget & Economic Planning Adamawa State, Hon. Comm. Budget & Economic Planning Taraba State, Hon. Comm. Budget & Economic Planning Yobe State and Hon. Comm. Budget & Economic Planning Borno.

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