The training also aimed to enhance the advocacy capacity of NEWSAN members to demand improved WASH policies and increased budgetary allocation for the sector.
By Kelvin Obambon
In a bid to deepen transparency and strengthen public accountability in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, the BudgIT Foundation, in partnership with the Network for Water Hygiene and Sanitation in Nigeria (NEWSAN), organised a one-day capacity-building training in Calabar on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
The training, held at the Ikapture Centre for Youth Development Hall in Calabar Municipality, focused on budget tracking, monitoring, and the application of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) as a tool for addressing persistent gaps in WASH service delivery. Participants included government officials, civil society actors, and journalists.
Speaking at the session, Research and Policy Analyst Ibukunolu James of the BudgIT Foundation described the MTEF as a critical instrument for promoting fiscal discipline and long-term planning within government institutions.
“The objective is to educate local government office holders on the adoption of the MTEF,” James stated. “It enables them to prioritise expenditure against their revenues. It is about the ability to forecast how much they are making and how much they can spend to ensure expenditures that are beneficial to the people.”
She added that the MTEF remains poorly understood by many citizens, underscoring the importance of sustained engagement and training to promote inclusive governance and transparency.
Also speaking, the Cross River State Representative of BudgIT Foundation, Joshua Otei, highlighted the organisation’s ongoing WASH System for Health project being implemented in Obubra and Yala Local Government Areas. According to him, the initiative is designed to strengthen rural WASH systems, curb open defecation, and improve access to safe drinking water.
“We are building a community where WASH systems are truly strengthened because there are many health issues associated with ill systems and a lack of infrastructure,” Otei explained.
He disclosed that field assessments have revealed alarming gaps in basic infrastructure across public institutions.
“We came across a facility in Yala that has a toilet just for men and no toilet for females. We develop reports and send them to the government so they can include these needs in their fiscal planning,” he said.
The training also aimed to enhance the advocacy capacity of NEWSAN members to demand improved WASH policies and increased budgetary allocation for the sector.
Expressing appreciation for the initiative, the Treasurer of the Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), Cross River State chapter, Juliet Orok, pledged to replicate the training at the community level.
“At least it has helped NEWSAN to know and track the activities of WASH in Cross River State,” she noted. “WASH is for everyone; it’s not only for the government. Every citizen should be carried along.”
As BudgIT continues its work as a civic technology organisation committed to simplifying public finance and government spending, the collaboration with NEWSAN represents a significant step toward ensuring that data-driven, high-impact WASH interventions reach underserved and vulnerable communities across Cross River State.