KEY POINTS
- Federal Government intensifies efforts to embed gender responsive planning and budgeting across MDAs.
- Officials say the 2027 budget is expected to reflect the ongoing reforms.
- A framework has been developed to help MDAs identify gender gaps and track interventions.
- UN Women and AfDB pledge continued technical and institutional support.
MAIN STORY
The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to make gender responsive planning and budgeting a standard part of government operations across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The initiative was reinforced on Monday at a capacity building programme organised by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in Abuja for senior government officials, with support from UN Women and other development partners.
The training is aimed at strengthening the ability of officials to factor gender considerations into policy decisions, budget preparation and implementation.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Esuabana Nko Asanye, represented by the Director of Gender Affairs, Mr Samaila Adamu, said the approach was necessary for addressing inequalities affecting women, children and other vulnerable groups.
She explained that gender responsive budgeting required gender considerations to be incorporated throughout the annual budget cycle and other major economic decisions rather than being treated as a separate policy concern.
Nko Asanye urged Gender Focal Persons in MDAs to use the knowledge acquired to support the government’s Roadmap to Equality by 2030 and improve implementation across the country.
She also linked family wellbeing with broader economic development, describing investment in strong families as an important response to poverty, insecurity, inequality and unemployment.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Deborah Odoh, said the government was already integrating gender responsive budgeting into national planning and expected the reforms to be reflected in the 2027 budget.
Odoh said the approach should cover the entire government process, from policy formulation and allocation of resources to implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
She said the ministry, with support from UN Women and development partners, had developed a framework to help MDAs identify gender related gaps, incorporate appropriate interventions into their plans and monitor their outcomes.
However, Odoh noted that responses from MDAs remained low despite the inclusion of gender responsive planning and budgeting in Budget Office circulars and continued sensitisation and technical support.
She also said the Renewed Hope Ward Development Survey, which covered 8,809 wards nationwide, had produced data on community needs that could support more evidence based planning at national and local levels.
The African Development Bank also expressed support for the initiative. Dr Abdul Kamara, Acting Vice President, Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery and Director General of the AfDB Nigeria Country Department, represented by Dr Patience Ekechukwu, said public spending should address barriers preventing women and girls from accessing opportunities and participating in decision making.
Kamara reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to providing technical assistance and capacity development to strengthen the implementation of Nigeria’s gender responsive planning and budgeting framework.
UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Beatrice Eyong, said the organisation had moved from advocacy towards supporting the institutionalisation of the approach within the public service.
Eyong said UN Women had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Civil Service of Nigeria to support the initiative and promote more inclusive workplaces in public institutions.
She said Permanent Secretaries, directors and other senior officials had already received training, while a five year implementation plan would be used to monitor how MDAs incorporate the approach into their operations.
THE ISSUES
- The effectiveness of gender responsive budgeting will depend on whether MDAs move beyond acknowledging the policy to consistently incorporating gender considerations into actual resource allocation and programmes.
- Low participation by MDAs remains a challenge. The continued need for sensitisation and technical support suggests that existing budget circulars have not yet translated into widespread implementation across government institutions.
- The availability of better data could improve the quality of planning by allowing government to identify specific needs across communities rather than relying solely on broad national assumptions.
- Institutionalising the approach requires continuity beyond individual workshops. Monitoring, technical assistance and accountability mechanisms will be important if the reforms are to become part of routine government budgeting.
- The ultimate measure of the policy will be whether public resources produce measurable improvements for women, girls and other groups facing unequal access to opportunities and services.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“Gender Planning and Budgeting simply means mainstreaming gender considerations into decision-making within the annual budget cycle and other key economic decision processes.” – Esuabana Nko Asanye, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development
“As we plan for our 2027 budget, with all the training that is being done at top level and middle level that will cascade down, we expect that the 2027 budget will be a reflection of all the things that we have done.” – Deborah Odoh, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning
“Institutionalisation cannot be achieved through a two-day workshop alone. Sustained monitoring, technical support and implementation will be required.” – Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS
WHAT’S NEXT
The Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning is expected to continue working with MDAs and development partners as the 2027 budget is prepared. The five year implementation plan will also provide a basis for monitoring how government institutions apply gender responsive planning and budgeting.
BOTTOM LINE
The Federal Government wants gender considerations to become part of the regular planning and budgeting process across MDAs rather than a separate initiative. The 2027 budget will provide an early test of how far the reforms have been translated into actual government spending decisions.
