No fewer than 17 local government officials from Adamawa and Borno have completed a six-day training organised by development partners on Microsoft Excel to improve digital budgeting and financial management.
The project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), European Union (EU), Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (Oxfam), and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
This was made know at the event on Monday in Yola by Oxfam Country Director, Tijani Hamza.
Hamza, represented by the Project Coordinator, Samuel Lashom, said the training was organised under a project titled “Support to Improving Social Cohesion through Community Development Planning in Three Local Government Areas in North-East Nigeria.”
He said the training aimed to strengthen budget and planning officers’ capacity in digital financial management and development planning.
“The digital skills would strengthen budget management and improve the tracking of development projects across the participating local government areas.
“The initiative seeks to move local government administrations from manual financial management processes to digital, data-driven systems that promote accuracy, transparency and accountability,” Hamza said.
He emphasised the importance of accurate financial records, transparency and accountability in building public trust and monitoring Community Development Plans (CDPs).
Hamza urged participants to apply the knowledge acquired during the training to their official responsibilities.
A facilitator, Dr David Ankama, said Excel and other information and communication technology tools would help officers prepare evidence-based budgets, track implementation and improve project monitoring and evaluation.
“At the end of the six-day training, all 17 participants completed the programme and received certificates,” Ankama said.
He said the participants were drawn from Guyuk Local Government Area of Adamawa, Biu and Kwaya Kusar local government areas of Borno.
Ankama said the training covered nine modules, equipping participants with practical skills in Excel operations, budget dashboard development, data governance and citizen-friendly financial reporting.
A participant, Alhaji Danladi Usman, Budget Officer, Biu Local Government Area, said he would apply the skills acquired to budget preparation from 2027.
Usman expressed confidence that applying the knowledge would bring remarkable improvements to his work.
Similarly, Mr Abdul Kasila, also from Biu Local Government Area, said the training exceeded participants’ expectations.
Kasila thanked the organisers for providing the opportunity to enhance their professional skills.(NAN).
