USAID Nigeria State2State Activity

📚 Stakeholders in Gombe are working to ensure the education system prepares students for the modern workforce.

At the USAID/Nigeria State2State Annual Budget Review Workshop for Gombe State House of Assembly (SHoA) Committees on Health, Education, and Water Sanitation and Hygiene held from May 13-15, 2024, stakeholders emphasized the need for an education system that equips students with practical skills for the modern job market ‍💼🏢.

The 24 participants; clerks, heads of ministries, departments, agencies, and civil society organizations reviewed the state's budget implementation (2021-2023) and enhance oversight functions. 💡

✅ The state government established the Gombe State Education Steering Committee and developed plans to improve budget managementand boost financial transparency.

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🏥 A healthy population is the foundation for a thriving society: recognizing this, we partnered with Kebbi's State Ministry of Health (SMoH) to conduct a three-day workshop on budget profiling and cash planning. The workshop aimed to optimize budget management and ensure timely fund disbursement to bridge the gap in healthcare services. 💪

Increased budget and funds released for the health sector will significantly enhance primary healthcare and related services in the state.

Read more about this event in The Tribune's detailed report by Olakunle Maruf: https://tribuneonlineng.com/usaid-state2state-organises-budget-profiling-cash-planning-for-kebbi-health-ministry/

USAID State2State organises budget profiling, cash planning for Kebbi health ministry A three-day workshop organised by USAID State2State for health sector MDAs in Kebbi State with the top echelon of Kebbi State

🎯 Sustaining governance reforms beyond project cycles & political transition is critical to sustainable development. This was a key focus at the recent State Transformation Committee (STC) National Conference. USAID/Nigeria's Deputy Mission Director, Sara Werth, highlighted the need for lasting reforms.

💡 The conference addressed and consolidated State2State reforms in Public Finance Management, Audit, Internally Generated Revenue, Debt Management, Inclusive Citizen Engagement, Conflict Management, Open Government Partnership, Procurement, and Improved Service Delivery.

The STC's recommendations and the insights shared at the event will guide the next steps in solidifying governance reforms and ensuring its sustainability beyond the State2State project and political tenures 🔄.

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Can businesses be a force for peace in conflict zones? 🤔

A recent dialogue in Sokoto state, suggests a promising answer: YES! 🙌 At the USAID/Nigeria State2State-supported conflict mitigation dialogue in Sokoto, stakeholders called for investors to set up shop near IDP camps to create jobs and boost the local economy 💼📈.

Participants also agreed that by partnering and fostering tailored skills training, we can empower displaced communities and foster lasting peace 🤝💪.

Read more: tribuneonlineng.com/conflict-mitigation-set-up-business-close-to-idp-camps-stakeholders-urge-investors/

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State2State recently conducted a training from June 25-27, 2024, for 25 Information Officers from PFM and Health MDAs in Kebbi. This training focused on enhancing communication skills and understanding PFM concepts related to health financing. Participants increased their PFM knowledge by 58 percent and improved their communication skills. We thank all participants for their active participation and dedication. Together, they produced an action plan to implement the strategies learned, making strides towards better governance and health financing! 💪

🏥 ⚡ Kebbi state’s journey towards accessible health for all is gaining momentum!

Kebbi State's Contributory Health Insurance Scheme (KECHEMA), supported by State2State, has achieved a significant milestone by convening its first-ever stakeholder coordination meeting on May 17, 2024!

Since its inception in 2018, the scheme has grown to serve over 110,000 beneficiaries, reducing out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for many. The meeting brought together 78 participants from various stakeholders, including beneficiaries, healthcare providers, and government agencies, to share success stories, address challenges, and improve the scheme.

💬 "This meeting has been enlightening for the Agency and its management, leading to improvements in KECHEMA's interactions with service providers and beneficiaries" - Dr. Jafar Augie Muhammed, Executive Secretary, KECHEMA.

State2State is proud to support KECHEMA in enhancing its capacity for stakeholder engagement and feedback, leading to better health financing and outcomes for the people of Kebbi State. 🌟

How can state agencies optimize their Internally Generated Revenue? 🤔

❓This and many more questions were topics discussed at the recent State2State Quarterly Support to Subnational Community of Practice (CoP) on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) convened in Sokoto state from June 24-25, 2024.

The meeting focused on helping states improve its IGR, bringing together IGR agency heads and other key stakeholders from various states.

The discussions centered on finding cost-effective ways to educate the public about taxes, along with the challenges and opportunities that come with implementing an IGR expansion strategy. By learning from each other's best practices, states can avoid common pitfalls and improve its revenue collection. 💡

🤖 Looking ahead, participants plan to delve deeper into tax automation at the next meeting, exploring the challenges, experiences, and best practices that can be adapted to their specific circumstances.

On 24-26 June 2024, State2State supported Information and Public Relations Officers from the Ministry of Information and Strategy in Adamawa to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Ministry Level Communication.

This is a significant step towards enhancing information dissemination and coordination among Information and Public Relations Officers. It streamlines the communication process and equips the officers with the necessary steps and tools to perform their duties more effectively, ensuring a more cohesive approach to public relations and information management within the ministry.

The participants were pleased that the workshop provided them with various documents to assist in their work, and they indicated their eagerness to study them to improve their skills.

📣 The June DAI Global Nigeria newsletter is here! Featuring stories from the USAID/Nigeria Activity. Inside, you'll find highlights from the National Conference for State Transformation Committees (STCs).

The newsletter also dives into the positive impact of State2State support in Gombe and Bauchi states, where both have seen significant growth in their internally generated Revenue! 📈

Check out the full newsletter for all the details !

DAI IN NIGERIA MAY NEWSLETTER | 2024 Dear Readers,

🚽💦 The Bauchi State's Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) is working to overcome disability and social inequalities barriers to its service delivery, thanks to support from the State2State Activity.

On April 23-24, 2024, RUWASSA, further demonstrated its continued commitment to Gender Equality and Social Inclusion ( ) by hosting a two-day in-house GESI training for its 14 staff. The training, by State2State, equipped participants with essential knowledge on disability inclusion, gender equality, and social inclusion best practices within the workplace and service delivery 📈📝.

🌙 Eid Mubarak 🌙

From all of us at the USAID State Accountability, Transparency, and Effectiveness (State2State) Activity, we wish you a joyous and blessed Eid-filled celebration. May this Eid be filled with happiness, peace, and togetherness.

From our family to yours! ☪️

🌟 Kudos to Guardian Nigeria for highlighting the insightful remarks from Abdulateef Sh*tu, Executive Director of the Nigeria Governors Forum. At the recent State Transformation Committee (STC) national conference on May 8 to 9, 2024, Abdulateef emphasized the importance of institutionalizing State2State reforms in public financial management across the Activity's focus state and beyond.

Want to know more? Read the full article here: https://guardian.ng/news/stakeholders-push-for-institutionalisation-of-usaid-fiscal-projects/

Learn more about STC! 👇

🧑‍💼💼👩‍💼 Thirty auditors from the Office of the Adamawa State Auditor General, the Office of the Auditor General for Local Governments, and the Public Accounts Committee of the Adamawa State House of Assembly gained valuable skills at the State2State Standardized Audit Practices training.

The training, held from May 28 to 30, 2024 and participants gained the skills and knowledge to plan, conduct, and report comprehensive audits, establishing a robust framework for public sector auditing in Adamawa State.

We are proud to be supporting the launch of the Adamawa State Audit Manual and Checklists this June Stay tuned!

Read more: https://promptnewsonline.com/adamawa-usaid-review-audit-manual-for-effective-service-delivery/

Adamawa, USAID review audit manual for effective service delivery | Prompt News The Adamawa Government with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s State to State project has trained auditors and reviewed financial audit manual and checklist for effective service delivery. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the participants wer...

🏛 Adamawa State marked a significant stride with a 23 percent increase in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2023, totaling NGN 17 billion. The State's House of Assembly (SHoA) highlighted this achievement during its inaugural Annual Budget Review meeting on May 6 to 7, 2024. The SHoA commended State2State Activity's significant contributions to this achievement.

Supported by the Activity, the meeting created a platform for the SHoA Clerk, committee members, other key officials Commissioner, Permanent Secretary, ministries, departments, agencies, and civil society organizations to review the 2023 budget performance 📈.

State2State support to the Adamawa State Internal Revenue Service (ADIRS) included IGR Expansion and ICT Strategies development, public-private dialogues facilitation, and tax audit and investigation training.

We're proud of Adamawa state's progress in IGR and strides in optimizing funding in key sectors🌟.

The Sokoto State House of Assembly recently adopted a comprehensive Legislative Agenda for the10th Assembly with a focus on innovation, such as an e-parliament system, a dedicated legislative intelligence unit, and a new media unit. .

Developed with support from the , the agenda serves as a strategic roadmap for lawmakers. It focuses on addressing critical issues impacting citizens, promotes efficient and transparent government practices, and emphasizes collaboration with stakeholders. The integration of innovative practices like the e-parliament and the establishment of a legislative intelligence unit promises to set a new standard for legislative operations in Nigeria 🇳🇬

Today, State2State proudly presented the 2024 Sokoto State Budget Profile and Cash Plan to the State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning at the Sokoto Government House. The Commissioner expressed heartfelt gratitude to State2State for our support in developing this crucial document and pledged to ensure its full implementation.
State2State is honored to contribute to the economic planning and development of Sokoto State and we look forward to seeing the positive impact of this budget on the community!

📈 Strengthening Collaboration for Improved Budget Performance!

On May 13 to 14, 2024, State2State conducted the Gombe State Annual Budget Performance Review workshop on education, health, and WASH to strengthen the oversight function of the State House of Assembly in budget processes. The workshop brought together Gombe State House of Assembly members, relevant state government officials, and civil society organizations was held in Kano.

Together, participants developed an action plan signed by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly to strengthen oversight and budget performance in the health, education, and WASH sectors. Key action items include quarterly review meetings, increased budgetary allocations for the key sectors, targeted recruitment of personnel, and reactivation of the state education steering committee.

State2State facilitated the Internally Generated Revenue coordination meeting on April 30, 2024, to track internally generated revenue action plans, foster knowledge sharing, and promote best practices across revenue-generation agencies in Akwa Ibom State. The meeting brought together key revenue-generating agencies across the state including the Ministries of Transport, Agriculture, Education, Office of the Surveyor General, and the Akwa Ibom State Internal Revenue Service (AKIRS).

Participants shared experiences and challenges in revenue generation in the state. AKIRS demonstrated a keen awareness of the challenges and firmly committed to addressing them. As a next step, AKIRS will create a comprehensive checklist outlining the requirements for the Finance and General Purpose Committee to further achieve the goal of supporting Ministries Departments and Agencies in achieving improved revenue generation 🔄💼.

Through the USAID Nigeria State2State Activity programme, DAI works to increase accountability, transparency, and effectiveness in the governance systems of Adamawa, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Gombe, and Sokoto states. State2State facilitates the efficiency of subnational governments; improves responsiveness to citizen needs and priorities; addresses financial resource constraints; and builds the capacity of states to manage conflict. This support results in better delivery of education, healthcare, water, sanitation, and health services.

In 2023, State2State successfully executed 238 activities, including training sessions, workshops, forums, roundtables, meetings, and dialogues, engaging 6,128 participants (4,493 men and 1,635 women).

State2State also co-developed internally generated revenue expansion strategies with six partner states—Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Gombe, and Sokoto—between 2022 and 2023 and is currently supporting the states to launch and implement the strategies.

Read more here to learn about our 2023 impact in Nigeria and our focus for 2024: https://buff.ly/4anUxKB

USAID/Nigeria

Effective budgetary performance, particularly in the state’s critical sectors, translates into better lives for citizens 🤩.

Mr. Lawal Dauda, Chairman of the House Committee on Health for the Bauchi State House of Assembly, recently commended State2State governance interventions for its significant role in the state's impressive 2023 budgetary performance, particularly in education 📚, health 🏥, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) 💧sectors.

📈 Bauchi State's budgetary performance across these key sectors has demonstrably improved compared to the previous year. The health sector witnessed a substantial increase, with performance rising from 64 percent to 76 percent. The WASH sector experienced a similarly significant increase, with performance climbing from 31 percent to 77 percent. The education sector also exhibited positive progress, achieving a performance rate of 79 percent compared to 76 percent in 2022.

Bauchi State Surpasses Revenue Targets! 📈

We are thrilled to see the remarkable impact of the State2State support to the Bauchi State government in strengthening its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)!

Together with the Bauchi State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS), State2State supported the Bauchi State IGR Expansion Strategy, focusing on diversifying revenue streams, advocacy to foster tax compliance, and digitalization of tax collection processes.

Demonstrating the strategy's success, Bauchi State's IGR has exhibited remarkable growth. From 2020 to 2021, the state’s IGR increased by 39 percent, followed by another substantial increase of 41 percent in 2022.

In January 2024, Bauchi State surpassed its projected IGR target for 2023 by an outstanding 52 percent, which translates to a significant revenue generation of N34.28 billion.

State2StateNigeria is proud to be a key partner supporting government agencies in achieving their revenue targets 📊!

🎉 Exciting News from Gombe State! 🎉
Stakeholders in Gombe have lauded the impactful Public Financial Management (PFM) interventions by State2State. Deputy Auditor-General of the state, Wilson Yahaya noted that the interventions have boosted Gombe’s reputation for accountability, and transparency, “We appreciate the interventions State2State has granted us through trainings and workshops which have yielded impactful results in how the Gombe state is perceived.” he said.

is improving fiscal transparency, utilizing public resources responsibly - THISDAYLIVE.

The paper also recognized the technical support State2State has provided to Akwa Ibom in Public Financial Management. Read more 👉👉 https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/05/01/how-akwa-ibom-is-improving-fiscal-transparency-utilising-public-resources-responsibly/

The Annual Budget Performance Review Workshop in Abuja, organized by State2State on May 6-7, 2024, is a commendable initiative that highlighted the importance of collaboration between government bodies and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the governance process. By focusing on key sectors such as education, health, and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), the workshop also aimed to enhance the oversight capabilities of the Adamawa State House of Assembly. The engagement of CSOs not only brings transparency and accountability to the budget process but also ensures that the voices of the citizens are heard and considered in decision-making.

Celebrating Success in Bauchi State! 🌟
At the 2023 Budget Performance Review convened by State, WHEN, the Bauchi State Legislators applauded State2State for strengthening governance in the health, education, and WASH sectors .

“I want to express my sincere appreciation to State2State for their intervention in building the capacity of relevant State MDAs, legislators, and CSOs. This will strengthen the system through quality spending of public funds for effective and efficient service delivery in the critical sectors of health, education and WASH”, stated the Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon. Lawal Dauda.
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: For the first time in several years, Ebonyi State embarks on debt reconciliation to boost State’s economy. From February 26 to 29, 2024 and with State2State’s support, a training was organized for the staff of Ebonyi State’s Debt Management Agency, to reconcile the State’s debts - a significant stride in debt management.

Dr. Leonard Uguru, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, at the workshop said, “with the reconciliation, the state’s economy will grow because … more money will be coming to the State government to provide good governance for the people."

At State2State, we understand that lasting reforms are achieved when state partners take ownership and lead the process. To further this objective, State2State is convening a national conference in Abuja on May 8-9, 2024, bringing together members of the State Transformation Committees (STCs) from six states: Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Gombe, and Sokoto.

The STCs play a vital role in ensuring the sustainability and institutionalization of State2State reforms. During the conference, Sara Werth, USAID Nigeria Deputy Mission Director, expressed gratitude to the participants for their dedication and service towards advancing State2State reforms in her opening remarks.

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Results of State2State’s interventions excite Akwa Ibom State Governor.
During the state's Executive Council meeting on April 30, 2024, State2State presented the outcomes of its work in Akwa Ibom State to Governor Umo Eno, the state governor. The progress made in the state include better management and administration of the budget, stronger collaboration between the government and civil society, greater involvement of citizens in the budget process, and improved integration of gender and social inclusion. Governor Umo Eno expressed his commitment to support State2State’s interventions in the state.