CODE Champions Citizens’ Voices in Bauchi Budget Process

By Farida Abdulwahab Oyedele

Connected Development (CODE), which participated as a technical partner to the Bauchi State Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination, has advocated the inclusion of project beneficiaries in government planning and budgeting processes.

CODE made the call during the 2027 Budget Public Consultation for Bauchi North Senatorial District held in Bauchi on Monday, where it delivered a technical presentation on Gender-Responsive Education Sector Planning and Budgeting (GRESP).

The organisation said involving end-users in the planning and budgeting process would enable government to better understand the specific needs and barriers faced by beneficiaries and ensure that public projects respond to actual community needs.

Using education as an example, CODE explained that broad budget proposals such as school renovation should go beyond physical infrastructure to address specific needs identified by learners, including safe and adequate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, inclusive infrastructure and appropriate learning environments.

The importance of beneficiary participation became evident during the citizen input session of the consultation when a girl representing students of Dr. Ibrahim Dogo Arabic School, Zaki, raised concerns about inadequate toilet facilities in the school.

She told the gathering that the school currently had only one toilet.

In response, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Budget, Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination, Hajiya Amina Muhammed Katagum, committed to providing an additional WASH facility for the school.

Commenting on the development, CODE’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Hyeladzira James Mshelia, said the incident demonstrated the importance of creating opportunities for citizens, particularly girls, to participate directly in public budgeting discussions.

“Girls should not only benefit from education budgets; their voices should help shape them. What happened today shows the importance of creating space for citizens, particularly girls, to speak directly about the challenges affecting their education and for government to respond,” Mshelia said.

According to CODE, the engagement provided a practical demonstration of GRESP, as a beneficiary identified a specific challenge affecting her education, raised it during a government budget consultation and received a concrete commitment in response.

The organisation said it would document the priorities and commitments emerging from the consultation and support citizen accountability and follow-up through its citizen oversight and FollowTheMoney approach.

CODE stressed that citizen participation should not end with consultation, but should provide a clear pathway for citizens’ concerns to influence planning, budgeting, implementation and accountability.