The objective of the forum is to elicit the views, ideas and concerns of citizens on the 2017 budget and use the views and recommendations elicited to develop a “citizen budgets” on health and education sectors to be presented to the Ministry of Finance.

• 87 participants were enlightened on the budget process thus enhancing their knowledge and understanding of the budget process.
• Participants had increased knowledge of health and education sector priorities in the 2016 budget.
• Stakeholders also took advantage of the opportunity to express their views and make inputs into the 2017 budget including the following;
  1. Alternative funding sources (eg. % of oil revenue, talk tax etc) to ensure timely reimbursement of NHIS claims to health service providers.
  2. Urgent need for more CHPS compounds in rural communities and upgrade old CHPS to include staff accommodation.
  3. Train and post of more midwives abs doctors to rural and deprived district’s health facilities. Furtherance to this, need to develop and enforce strict policies on posting of health staff to rural areas
  4. Upgrade Yendi Hospital into a tertiary health facility
  5. Provision of ambulance to all districts health facilities to facilitate easy referrals.
  6. Strengthen monitoring and evaluation ,mechanisms and provide logistics for effective monitoring of health care service delivery
  7. Investment in the provision of more educational infrastructure, especially school blocks and furniture and other ancillary facilities. School building should disability friendly.
  8. More funds should be allocated for monitoring and supervision as well as capacity building for teachers.
  9. Upward adjustment and timely release of grants to schools. (Capitation and school feeding grants, SHS schools in the north)
  10. Provision of the right teaching and learning materials and adequate text books
  11. Expansion of school feeding to cover all basic schools in deprived communities
  12. Allocations for effective implementation of educational policies. Eg. FCUBE, language policy, Gender parity Initiative(GPI), SHS duration etc.
  13. Early release of payment of salaries of newly recruited teachers to enhance their commitment and output.