Connect with us

Health

Child budgeting will alleviate poverty In Nigeria – UNICEF

Df404851f141dc7a0372b7dc9137dbfb

Published

on

UNICEF

By: Ajiya Ayuba, Bauchi

The acting chief of Field Office, UNICEF, Bauchi, Mohammed Kamfut on Wednesday said that the improved budgeting and funding of child-

responsive interventions which will alleviate poverty which is a major barrier to realizing the rights of all children.

Advertisement

Kamfut said this during the North East Nigeria Zonal Policy Dialogue on Social Budgeting For Child-Sensitive Sectors in Nigeria, held at the custodian hotel, Gombe State.

Represented by Yusuf Auta, the UNICEF specialist on Social Policy said that “I believe at the end of the dialogue, we will contribute immensely to the full realization of children’s rights through, among other things” Adding that “This important dialogue brings together a diverse group of stakeholders who are actively engaged in budget development and implementation”

“Taking all necessary measures to safeguard and advance their rights, ensuring they have the resources to survive, develop, and thrive, as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

He said that “Since the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals at the turn of the Millennium, there has been remarkable progress in reducing poverty and enhancing the living conditions of

Advertisement

millions of children and families”

“Poverty infringes upon children’s human rights and perpetuates a relentless cycle of deprivation that is challenging to break without adequate support. It leads to numerous adverse outcomes for children, including hunger, malnutrition, poor health, and limited or no access to quality education and essential services”

“As children grow older and remain in poverty, the impact of these deprivations intensifies, further diminishing their opportunities to reach their full pot Nigeria’s population is estimated at above 205.9 million, with 49.5 percent (102 million) being children aged 0-17 years”

According to him, said that “Many African countries, children in Nigeria are disproportionately affected by poverty due to their vulnerable status in society”

Advertisement

Despite the global urgency to address poverty, children have often been overlooked in poverty reduction initiatives.

“According to the 2020 report on Multidimensional Child Poverty Analysis supported by UNICEF Nigeria, over 47

million children, or approximately 47.4 percent of Nigerian children, live in households with incomes below the national poverty line of 137,430 Naira per year (based on the 2019 exchange rate”

“This dialogue is very important to support and advocate to the Government for the well-being of children and the population at large”

Advertisement

“We will achieve many targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, including ending preventable child deaths, ensuring quality basic education for all children, and protecting children from all forms of violence if we make a concerted effort.

“It is my firm belief that this dialogue would effectively secure your commitment to domestic investment for children, system strengthening, capacity building and raising awareness about the deprived status of our children living in poverty taking the actions needed by all State and non-state actors to lift children out of poverty”

North-Eastern Nigeria, given the right policies and commitment, has huge resources to ensure children grow up free from poverty, deprivation, and exclusion.

In his part, Salihu Baba Alkali, the commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning, Gombe State expressed appreciation to UNICEF for selecting Gombe to be the host for the Zonal policy dialogue of Social Sector Financing.

Advertisement

Alkali said that the purpose of the dialogue is to collectively chart a path to adequate and sustainable financing of the social sector at the Federal and State levels in Nigeria.

He said that the dialogue also aimed at providing an opportunity to generate ideas and share challenges and recommendations ahead of the forthcoming high-level National Policy Dialogue under the auspices of Network of Commissioners of Budget and Finance.

He further said that the dialogue will also help to explore how states’ budget processes can lead to better budget outcomes and improved service delivery in the social sector.

According to the commissioner “We are gathered here today to deliberate on social sector budgeting that will help explore how the states’ budget process can lead to better budget outcomes and improved service delivery in these sub-sectors (Health, Education, Women Affairs)

Advertisement

“The effort you see today a is collaboration between Gombe State Government and UNICEF Bauchi Field Office in order to ensure the success of the North-East dialogue and to harness inputs from diverse stakeholder’s and to also exchange views on the pathway towards achieving annual increase in budgetary allocation to the social sector by at least 2 – 3%, which will increase releases and utilization”

Share via
Copy link