The Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has initiated a two-day capacity-building workshop for key stakeholders in Kaduna State on using the National Nutrition Budget Tracking System (NNBTS).
The programme aims to boost transparency and accountability in nutrition financing.
The workshop, which started on Tuesday in Kaduna, gathered budget officers from nutrition-related ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), along with civil society organization representatives.
Speaking at the event, Mukhtar Abdullahi, Permanent Secretary of the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission, said the initiative would strengthen the state’s capacity to monitor and manage resources for nutrition programmes.
Abdullahi, also Chairman of the State Committee on Food and Nutrition, emphasized that nutrition is vital for human capital development and sustainable economic growth.
He explained that the NNBTS is designed to track budget allocations, releases, and expenditures related to nutrition, providing data to support evidence-based policy-making and planning.
Institutionalizing the system, he added, will improve budget performance and ensure that nutrition interventions reach the intended beneficiaries across the state.
“The growing need for transparency, accountability, and data-driven decision-making makes this training both timely and relevant,” Abdullahi said.
He commended CS-SUNN and its partners for supporting Kaduna State through this initiative, noting its alignment with the government’s goal of enhancing residents’ health and well-being.
He urged participants to actively engage in the training and apply their new knowledge to improve nutrition financing and resource use in their institutions.
Abdullahi expressed optimism that the workshop would lead to better nutrition and health outcomes in Kaduna.
Earlier, Ms. Celestina Anyim, Kaduna State Coordinator of CS-SUNN, described the NNBTS as a crucial tool for promoting accountability and monitoring public nutrition spending.
She said the training aimed to equip stakeholders with the skills needed to effectively use the platform and strengthen oversight of nutrition investments.
The NNBTS is a digital platform that enables government agencies, civil society, and development partners to monitor fund allocations, budgeting, releases, and utilization of nutrition programme resources.
