The United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Nigeria has projected to spend £14.7 million on human development and social protection programmes in Kano State.
The projection came even as the UK Government announced a 29 per cent slash in its global intervention from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 percent of the UK Gross National Income, which it said was occasioned by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Development Director, FCDA Nigeria, Dr. Christopher Pycroft, who made the disclosure yesterday in Kano during a strategic dialogue between Kano State Government and FCDO on Mutual Accountability Framework (MAF) held at the government house, also reminded that British Government is interested to see value for every pound spent on social intervention in Kano and other partner states.
The UK donor agency declared a paradigm shift on government development programmes, saying the FCDO intervention would only focus on a sustainable framework on human development and social protection programmes.
He explained that the MAF project is aimed to improve coordination and support government’s efforts to implement reforms that would drive developmental and social protection growth in Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa States.
Pycroft emphasised that the MAF blueprint developed by FCDC would eliminate cash support and replace it with technical assistance in concrete areas of good governance, economic recovery, investment opportunity and poverty reduction through human capital development, particularly in the areas of health, education and social protection.
To actualise the MAF project, Pycroft reminded the state government to be ready and willing to make “critical and at times painful transformational decisions” that will lead to economic growth and development with governance and investment on the people of the state.
According to him, “Over the last seven years, from 2014 to 2021, FCDO has spent a total in excess of £130 million in Kano State through our programme interventions. In which £14.7 million is projected to be spent in the financial year of 2020 to 21.
“We believe that through our mutual commitment, dialogue, transparency and accountability from all parties, we can achieve great impact and support to the Kano State Government’s own effort through this mutual accountability framework.”
While speaking also, the state Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, said the state government has demonstrated commitment through a strong institutional framework and human capacity to nurture developmental growth in the state.
Ganduje, who applauded the continuous intervention of the UK Government in the state, expressed the commitment of his government to fulfil all technical agreements and framework required by FCDCO to support education, health and social protection programmes in the state.
Source: This Day Live
