By: Haruna Kuyateh
The National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) on Friday wrapped up a two-day training of Local Government Authorities on gender-responsive budgeting and participatory planning.
The theme for the training was Integrating Gender in Local Government Planning and Budgeting. The training targeted 100 participants including ward councilors, women, youths, and Village Development Committees (VDC) for Kerewan and Farafenni in the North Bank Region.
The outreach program was funded by the Human Security Fund of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities.
Speaking at the occasion, Dembo Samateh, Deputy Governor of NBR underscored the significance of creating public awareness on Gender Responsive Budgeting and most importantly participatory planning from Village and Ward Development Committees.
He called on participants to be proactive and ensure effective participatory planning at decentralized structures to enhance social accountability.
Ousman Bah, Program Officer said the program seeks to enhance the capacity of local government officials in integrating gender budgeting processes and promoting inclusive and participatory planning.
He noted that the initiative aimed to address the critical need for inclusive policies and programs at the grassroots level. It sought to empower local government officials (Area Council, Village and Ward Development Committees) with the knowledge and skills necessary to bridge gender disparities and promote equitable development.
Abdoulie Nyass of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MOFEA) described the training as important, noting that it provided a comprehensive overview of Gender Mainstreaming and Gender-responsive Budgeting.
Mr. Nyass emphasized the crucial significance of incorporating gender perspectives into every facet of policies, programs, and projects. He underscored the necessity of allocating and managing public resources in a manner that actively fosters gender equality. Gender Mainstreaming and Gender-responsive Budgeting.
Ansumana Yarbou, Programme Officer used the moment to call on participants to foster gender equality and inclusivity and engaged people representatives to advocate and demand for better services through enhancing social accountability.
He, therefore, called on Kerewan Area Council officials and ward councilors to strengthen the capacity of decentralized structures to bring about effective gender-responsive budgeting and planning.
