They spoke to our correspondent on the sideline of a three-day workshop in Abuja.

The theme of the workshop was: “Technical Support for Preparation of 2023-2025 MTEF/FSP for State2State Partner States”.

it was organised by USAID, through its Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness (State2State) project.

Hon. Ali Manu, the chairman House Committee on Appropriation, Gombe State House of Assembly said a realistic budget was largely based on a well planned process.

Manu stressed the need for state governments to embrace the preparation of MTEF and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) as part of budget preparation for better result.

The lawmaker also emphasised the need for periodic training and retraining for government agencies, the legislature and other stakeholders on emerging trends and budget preparation to meet the needs of the people.

He said “we are working out modalities to partner with USAID State2State for the training of lawmakers in Gombe State in this regard.

On impact of the State2State project, Manu said it had assisted the state in many ways in achieving set goals.

“All the Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) we have been able to achieve have brought us grants that have impacted positively on all the sectors within the state.

“We are working on putting up a structure for sustainability of the project when it comes to an end in 2025.

On challenges with accurate data, the lawmaker said,”we have a newly created department by the state government because of its importance.

“A team of professionals have been assembled
to do a thorough job on data gathering for the state and this will go a long way in assisting with realistic budget and government activities.

Hon. Abdulqadeer Dewu, the chairman, Bauchi State House of Assembly Committee on Budget and Appropriation, harped on the need for periodic training of stakeholders on budgeting.

“The State2State programme is laudable because of the impact it is making particularly in terms of capacity building, education, health and other sectors of the economy.

“We want training for house of assembly members particularly on budgeting,” he said.

On availability of data, Umar said a bill for establishment of Bureau of Statistics, passed by the Bauchi State House of Assembly had been assented to by the governor.

Mrs Williamson Mfon, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Ebonyi, said the workshop was organised for State2State to assist states with preparation of MTEF for 2023 through 2025.

She said, “a well planned budget will always result in a good budget .

“So, the MTEF will make it a lot easier for states to come up with their budgets within the required time frame.

‘We did a similar thing in 2021, and it helped us to prepare our budget early.

“The data we collated helped us to prepare the budget. So, we did not need to start gathering data afresh.”

She urged the State2State team to extend training duration for participants in view of the complexities involved in coming up with formidable MTEF and budget.

On data, she said the state had created a data centre in the Ministry of Finance, adding that it should be functional by 2023.

Mr Victor Edet, the director-general, Akwa Ibom State Fiscal Responsibility Board urged states that were not using MTEF to prepare their budgets, to do so in view of its benefits.

“States that are not using MTEF to develop their budgets will not achieve budget realism because it closes deviation between the actuals and projected budget size.

“MTEF is a working tool for any government that wants to succeed.

“It helps with planning budget and how to improve present projects.

“Policy makers should always look into the document for the success of the economy.

“This is because it is one thing for technocrats to look at it and it is another thing for our policy makers to key into it.

Reports have it that the USAID State2State project is a five-year project billed to end in 2025.

It is aimed at enhancing government’s ability to respond to citizens’ needs and priorities appropriately.

It is also aimed at helping states to plan their budget and raise revenues for developmental purposes.

It is further focused on improving government and civil society capacity to manage conflicts while ensuring improved health, education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH).