As part of efforts to track and ensure accountability in the implementation of budget allocation targeting women’s economic empowerment, the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, in collaboration with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, and the Development Research and Projects Centre, has inaugurated a Technical Working Group comprising of Monitoring and Evaluation Officers from 10 MDAs in Nigeria to track budget implementation on WEE.
Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, under the Partnership for Advancing Women’s Economic Development, PAWED, the Technical Working Group led by Dr Zakari Lawal, the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning.
In his welcome address at the event, the Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Brigadier CJ Udaya, represented by Dr Nasirdeen Usman, disclosed that the TWG is to support the accountability process of the piloting of the application of the Monitoring & Evaluation framework on WEE programs in Nigeria.
According to him, NIPSS is partnering with the Budget Office and the Development Research and Projects Centre to support the accountability component of the development and implementation of the pilot M&E framework to track and rate women’s economic empowerment project/policies/interventions at the national and sub-national level. He also described WEE as a strong policy of the federal government that must be translated into action by the TWG.
The TWG, he said, is expected to make recommendations to National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (FMFBNP) & the development Research and Projects Center (dRPC) on the development and update of the implementation of WEE policies; develop and implement advocacy strategies for effective implementation of WEE policies and support the advocacy for and dissemination of the WEE Monitoring and Evaluation Framework;
Dr Nasirdeeen added that the TWG would also support NIPSS, FMFBNP & dRPC WEE outreach and engagement activities; submit reports of its activities to NIPSS, FMFBNP & dRPC WEE at regular intervals; and carry out other ad hoc duties as requested by NIPSS, FMFBNP & the dRPC.
While urging the 20 committee members drawn from the Federal Ministry of Budget, Agriculture, CBN, and other MDAs, to work hard to promote transparency in the implementation of women’s economic empowerment I the country, Dr Nasirdeen said the nation stands to solve its economic challenges when women’s economic empowerment are given the required attention.
‘With 44.82% of the labour force in Nigeria, empowering this segment of our population is not the only key to achieving economic independence, but it is also critical in sustaining the nation’s overall economic development’ he said
In his remarks at the occasion, the Director Monitoring and Evaluation, Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Dr Zakari Lawal, while stressing the need to strengthen monitoring and evaluation of women’s economic in the country, he said the federal government is determined to set in mechanisms to promote transparency in the allocation and implementation of policies in the country.
The TWG will train the techniques and skills to track budget allocation and implementation on Wednesday and Thursday at the Bolton White Hotel in Abuja.
