The Sokoto State government has accorded special interest to an effective and efficient Public Financial Management System based on the principles of transparency and accountability in the conduct of government business.
The Commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Abubakar Mohamad Zayyana, disclosed this while opening a two-day training Workshop For Relevant Stakeholders On Updated National Chart of Accounts (NCoA)codes, Budget performance Reporting And State Financial accounts. The Ministry organised the training at the Reiz Continental Hotel, Abuja.
He assured that the practices would be sustained to ensure prudent management of public resources under Dr. Ahmad Aliyu’s administration.
The Commissioner explained that the state has gone far in reforming its budgetary process and performance reporting in line with the International Public Sector Accounting Standard (IPSAS) and the National Chart of Accounts (NCoA).
He assured the government’s readiness to support and enhance the capacity of its workforce in all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies to enhance their productivity for effective service delivery.
Dr. Abubakar Zayyana, to this end, reiterated the government’s commitment to institutionalising a realistic, scientific, and all-inclusive budget for the state. This is to accommodate and contextualise the aspirations of different segments of Society in the distribution of wealth, and to spread programs and projects across the State using realistic variable assumptions.
While appreciating the commitment and support of Governor Ahmad Aliyu in strengthening the Public Financial Management System, the Commissioner also charged the training participants to be focused and cooperative in achieving the desired goals.
In her address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Hajiya Maryam Ahmad Barade, said the training is in line with the focus of the current administration’s desire to ensure service delivery at the grassroots level.
She noted that a number of structural reforms and policy initiatives have been undertaken to reverse the ugly trend, stimulate State productivity and set the State on the path of sustainable growth and development.
The Permanent Secretary described the training as a great opportunity that would serve as an avenue to share thoughts and experiences on ways to consolidate the gains recorded and further improve the planning machinery, public service delivery, and good governance at all levels.
Other speakers at the workshop were Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Sani Muhammad Tambuwal, and Deputy Clerk, State House of Assembly, Alhaji Ibrahim Dogon Daji, among others.
Some participants were drawn from the State Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, and the Sokoto State Internal Revenue Service.