NO fewer than 30 family planning advocacy groups have been trained on Budget Tracking and Monitoring, BTM.

They were trained during a two-day training programme held at Best Western Meloch Hotel, Awka, aimed at building the capacity of members of the group on BTM.

The training was organised by the Anambra State Ministry of Health, MOH, in conjunction with ‘The Challenge Initiatives’ (TCI), a non-governmental organisation.

In a speech, Uchechukwu Onyejimbe, the director Public Health, said he was delighted that the training was organised under the auspices of TCI and MOH for the Advocacy Core Group.

“I welcome all of you and expect that you take the training seriously and use what you have learnt to effect changes in our state,’’ he said.

In a lead paper presentation entitled: “Budget Analysis And Monitoring,” Aneotah Egbe, a resource person, also TCI state coordinator, examined various perspectives to budgeting and their implementation models.

Egbe described Budgeting as “a financial plans of an entity that sets goals and allocates resources over a period of time, usually one year.’’

“Budget is not simply an exercise in balancing revenues  and expenditure but a strategic financial and operating plan that allocates resources on the basis of identified goals and objectives,’’ he added.

The TCI coordinator engaged the participants on the legal framework in budget development.

He used the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the National Health Act 2014 and others to illustrate the basic legal framework.

He noted; “Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys, PETS, can be useful in highlighting the diversions of funds,” adding that PETS could expose the weakness in accountability systems and mechanism in various organisations.

The PETS processes include choosing a budget focused analysis, commitments to standards, information gathering on original budgets and others.

Other presentations include the guide to ensuring public sector financing and expenditure for family planning, Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative BTM, basic calculations in budgeting, media tools for budgeting analysis and others.

Onyedikachi Ewe, the demand generation technical support lead, gave an overview of the TCI.

The challenge initiative came into Anambra in 2018 with the vision to accelerate true family planning movement in the state.

The TCI operates in Nigeria, where state governments and partners ask for technical and financial assistance.

The organisation’s assistance in this regard had been helpful in implementing successful family Planning programming in Anambra and other states where it had been operational.

– Mar. 26, 2019 @ 13:35 GMT |