Abdullahi Bashir Saadu (elbashir)
Published 2006-07-31 16:42 (KST)

According to a pamphlet distributed to journalists in Dutse, the grant is to assist states in Nigeria that are committed to reforms in providing service delivery, such as through a more efficient and transparent budget management.

The program is managed by a central "project management unit" based in Abuja and by "state technical units" in six target states, namely Osun, Cross River, Anambra, Kano, Jigawa, and Yobe.

Meeting the Millennium Development Goals is an objective many countries and donor agencies have signed up to.

"Achieving the goals, however, remains a challenge. In Nigeria where foreign aid doesn't amount to 1 percent of the country's GNP, donor contributions can only make meaningful impact by channeling their funds toward supporting Nigeria's own efforts at public sector reforms," the pamphlet said.

The financing agreement between the European Union and Nigeria, signed in December 2004, justified the support of Nigeria's efforts to reform the use of public funds as the most significant contribution donors could make to reduce poverty in Nigeria.

In that spirit, the SRIP will assist reform-oriented states and local governments within Nigeria to enhance government transparency and accountability, ensuring that pro-poor policies are successfully implemented.

The goal of the SRIP, as noted in the pamphlet, is to ensure that the authorities and citizens of target states make the budget and budgeting process a more transparent, effective, and accountable means of managing public finance.

The SRIP also works in close collaboration with the Water and Sanitation Sector Reform Program. The desire for improved service delivery in water and sanitation is seen as an entry point for improved public finance management in that sector.