By Our Reporter
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has called on Ebonyi government to improve investment in basic education and healthcare delivery.
The Deputy Chief of Party, USAID State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness (State2State) Activity, Mr John Onyeukwu made the call in Enugu during the State Action Planning Retreat of Ebonyi State Transformation Committee (STC).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the State2State Project is USAID funded programme aimed at increasing accountability, transparency and effectiveness of governance in targeted states.
It is currently being implemented in six partner states of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Gombe and Sokoto.
Meanwhile, Onyeukwu said that critical services covered in the project included education, healthcare, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
The deputy chief of party said that the programme was aiding the state government to reform its public finance management system and procurement audit among others.
He said that the programme was also supporting the state government to develop Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Strategic Document in order to raise enough IGR.
He said that the state government had been identified to be doing a lot in terms of reforming the state economy.
“Ebonyi is seen as having the willingness to reform. They are interested in having strong institutions.
“We hope that the state will raise enough IGR so as to invest more in basic education, primary healthcare and WASH,” he said.
Onyeukwu called on other states in the South-East to learn from the what the government of Ebonyi was doing in order to open up their states for more investments.
Also, the Executive Director, Development and Integrity Goal Foundation, Mr Chima Ajah, said that the State2State project would expand the civic space and broaden citizen’s participation in governance process.
Ajah said that the project would also improve service delivery in all aspects of governance in the state.
Earlier, the State Team Lead, Mr Sam Onyia, said that the project started in the state in November 2020.
Onyia said that they had done a lot, including strengthening of the IGR of the state, since the commencement of the project.
He however, said that the major challenge the project had faced was the insecurity situation which had kept some of their activities at abeyance..
NAN reports that the retreat was attended by members of the Ebonyi STC, including the Auditor-General of the State, representatives of civil society organisations and the organised private sector.
