Rainbow Alliance: ADC, APGA, LP, PDP, Others To Form Alliance For Imo Guber

Transparency Gained Imo N21 Billion In World Bank Funding — Commissioner

by Echezona obinna
A+A-
Reset

The Imo State Government announced on Tuesday that its budgetary transparency earned it a World Bank grant of more than $30 million (N21 billion) over a three-year period (2020, 2021 and 2022).
According to The Guardian, the state Commissioner for Budget, Economic Planning, and Statistics, Christopher Osuala, revealed to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Eze Ugochukwu, that the state governor, Hope Uzodimma, had made a decision to conform to the bank’s State Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability programme.

Osuala went on to say that the state was working hard to secure a 2023 grant in the same capacity from the bank.

He noted that the funds were utilised in infrastructural projects execution since the Uzodimma-led administration came on board, adding that no previous administration had achieved it since the state was created in 1976, according to The Guardian.
Speaking on how the state got the grant, including components of the programme, Osuala, said, “The SFTAS is a programme by the World Bank and Federal Government of Nigeria to deepen transparency in budgeting processes for qualified states.
“The SFTAS consists of different requirements in form of Disbursement Link Indicators, which are assigned tasks that the World Bank designed for institutions, as well as states that are qualified to participate in Budgeting and Budgetary Performance Indicators.

Senate Commends NNPC Anti-corruption Efforts

“The second component is Disbursement Linked Results, which World Bank’s Independent Verification Assessors use as yardsticks to assess institutions and states’ performance compliance in relation to DLIs performance evaluation. The synopsis of the SFTAS is predicated on Performance for Results. This means that states can earn financial grant reward after performance in all indicators of budgetary requirements; then World Bank rewards the state based on results of its efforts.”

Advertisement

He added that the state’s budget cycle played a crucial role in achieving the feat, The Guardian report says.
He said, “The state earns grants based on the DLIs that are successfully achieved within the budget cycle. It is vital that since the inception of Imo State in 1976, none of the previous administrations have been able to link the state’s budget to World Bank Budgetary Transparency Programmes. The Uzodimma’s government is the only administration that has accomplished this feat through publication of the Citizen Budget in accordance to World Bank’s requirements.”

 

Follow us on Facebook

Post Disclaimer

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.

You may also like

Advertisement