Kaduna Civil Society Hosts Landmark Citizens’ Training Ahead Of Budget Planning

In a historic move aimed at deepening civic engagement in public finance, the Civic Impact for Sustainable Development Foundation, in collaboration with the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Technical Working Group (TWG) on Strengthening the Participatory Budgeting Process, has launched Kaduna State’s largest pre-budget engagement training to gather citizens’ input for the 2026 fiscal year.
The initiative which is a four-week intensive capacity-building programme, tagged #EngageKdBudget2026, is expected to train 500 participants across Kaduna State.

In a statement jointly signed by the Head of Policy, Research and Data Management, Gabriel Adinga and Civil Society Co-chair OGP TWG on Strengthening Participatory Budgeting Process, Seth Luke disclosed that 215 participants have already registered for the training, adding that the training is set to become the largest pre-budget engagement initiative in the state’s history.

According to them, the training would enhance citizen-government collaboration and improve 2026 budget outcomes.

They explained that the intervention comes in response to the recently released 2026–2028 budget calendar by the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission, which outlines multiple opportunities for citizens to contribute to fiscal planning.

The duo added that the training provides a critical window to ensure that citizens’ voices are not just heard, but also influence the final budget.

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“Despite Kaduna’s leadership in open governance under the Open Government Partnership (OGP), low awareness and weak technical capacity among citizens continue to limit meaningful engagement in budgeting processes. This program seeks to change that by equipping community members, CSOs, and civic actors with tools and knowledge to advocate for budgets that reflect real community needs”.

“The Kaduna OGP journey has opened new frontiers for civic participation, but the quality of engagement matters. This training will ensure that citizens are not just present, but influential in the spaces that shape how public funds are allocated.

“The #EngageKdBudget2026 training will cover core themes such as: Public Financial Management system; understanding the Kaduna State budget cycle and entry points for civic input; overview of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and sectoral allocations; prioritizing and submitting community development needs; gender-responsive and climate-tagged budgeting; and accountability tools for budget analysis and advocacy”.

They further noted that Kaduna has reinforced its leadership in civic innovation through a civic impact-led engagement that highlights its commitment to participatory budgeting, saying that the initiative sets a new standard for inclusive governance, positioning Kaduna as a model for other states.

The initiative is in partnership with Policy and Citizens Initiative, Institute of Budget & Policy – Africa, Youth Assembly of Nigeria (YAN), National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), OpenGov Youth Innovation Hub, the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), and Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment & Development (CALPED).