The Executive Chairman Adamawa State Fiscal Responsibility Commission Hon. Umar Iya Daware and the Commission Members on the 7th – 4 – 2024 took a familiarization visit to the Office of the Special Adviser/Coordinator State Coordination Office for World Bank and other development Partners projects in the State.
Speaking at the World Bank Office, the Chairman Hon. Daware said they were on a familiarization engagement with critical partners and described the World Bank Office as one critical Partner which supports government development projects therefore, the need for proper synergy.
He reeled out some responsibility of the Commission which includes oversight of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the area of fiscal discipline, supervision of budget preparation and implementation in the state.
Hon. Daware said the Commission seeks to build stronger collaboration with the World Bank Office in the area of Monitoring and Evaluation as one of the critical mandates of the Commission also includes turning out reports to both the government and the State House of Assembly.
Hon. Daware states that the state government have initiated and implemented some reforms in the state which has cascaded down to the local government level which is manifest in the development visible in the state.
HE said the Commission have made some modest achievement by securing approval from His Excellency the Executive Governor to take its work down to the local government level.
He stated that with the approval the Commission was able to organize a workshop for local government Chairmen in the state in the area of budget preparation and implementation which was followed with another workshop for Local Government Budget Officers and the Staff of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.
Hon. Daware further said the Commission will need the support of the World Bank Office in the area of Capacity Building in timely budget preparation and implementation, budget tracking and effective logistic support.
He said the Commission at the meantime have succeeded in changing the ways things are done with the introduction of new ways of doing things from where the new Council met it.
In his Response, the Special Adviser/Coordinator, State Office for World Bank and Other Development Partners Project Mr. Robert P. Ahidjo said the meeting is not a merely a Consultative session, it is a reaffirmation of shared commitment to build an Adamawa State anchored on probity, accountability and transparency values that are deeply embedded in the governance vision of His Excellency.
He commended the leadership of the Adamawa State Fiscal Responsibility Commission for its initiative and foresight in proposing the collaboration.
Mr. Ahidjo stated that the Commission mission aligns squarely with the reform Agenda the state Co-ordination Office is driving at. Particularly in the delivery and oversight of World Bank Assisted and donor funded programmes.
He said, as they look ahead he is please to highlight specific areas where this partnership will take immediate roots amongst which are:
- The establishment of a Joint Fiscal Oversight Mechanism which will ensure transparency and integrity in the delivery of key externally funded interventions including NG-CARES, the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) and the Agro-Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACRESAL) Project.
- The Roll out of Capacity Building Programmes for MDAs targeting improvements in financial reporting, procurement practices and internal control systems, in alignment with both state law and donor expectations.
- Begin to integrate Fiscal Responsibility Indicators into monitoring and evaluation framework, so that assessment of success will go beyond outputs and outcomes to include fiscal integrity and sustainability.
- The Convening of quarterly fiscal governance forum bringing together government, Civil Society and Development Partners to promote open dialogues performance reporting and Policy alignment.
- Working together to strengthen legislative engagement ensuring that appropriation, auditing and reporting processes are conducted in line with international best practices and local realities.
In attendance at the engagement were the Commissioner (I) Fiscal Responsibility Commission Engr. Michael A. Medugu, The Commission’s Secretary/Legal Adviser, Barr. Aisha Musa Ahmed and Director Information Dickson Obidah and management staff of the State Co-ordination Office.
