Budget Advocacy in Nigeria an ways in which nutrition desk officers/state actors can engage for better nutrition funding

1. BUDGET ADVOCACY & ACTION
PLANNING
Okoronkwo Sunday (Project Manager CS-SUNN)

2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE
1. Budget Advocacy
2. Developing Budget Advocacy
Action plan

3. 1. BUDGET ADVOCACY

4. What is budget advocacy?
Strategic approach to influence
governments’ budget choices,
aimed at achieving clear and
specific outcomes- e.g. healthier
people, less poverty, improved
governance for nutrition or any
other worthy course International Budget Partnership

5. Budget Advocacy Steps
• Step 1: Selecting an issue or problem to address
• Step 2: Developing a goal and objectives for budget advocacy
• Step 3: Assessing your external and internal context
• Step 4: Identifying your target audiences
• Step 5: Crafting your budget advocacy message(s)
• Step 6: Creating an action plan
• Step 8: Measuring success

6. Budget Advocacy Essential capacities
1.Budget Analysis: The capacity to secure budget
information, analyze it and explain its
implications in clear and compelling ways
2.Engaging for change: Implementing budget
advocacy strategies that will yield results,
Selecting the most effective way/channels to
reach your targets (politicians, stakeholders),
mobilizing the public

7. 3. Budget Execution:
The Executive collects
the Revenue and
spend the money as
per the allocation
made in the budget
law
2. Budget Approval:
The Legislature reviews
and amends the budget
and then enacts it into
law
4. Budget Oversight:
The Budget Accounts are
audited & Audit findings
are reviewed by NASS,
which requires action to
be taken by the Executive
to correct Audit findings
Key budget
Documents:
Executive’s
Budget
Proposal;
supporting
budget reports
ie MTEF
Key Budget
Documents:
Budget Law;
Reports of
Legislative
Budget
Committee
Key Budget
Documents:
In-Year
Reports; Mid-
Year Report;
Year-end
Reports;
Supplementary
Budgets
Key Budget
Documents:
Audit Reports;
Legislative
Audit
Committee
Reports
KEY STAGES IN THE BUDGET CYCLE
PRESTON © 2013

8. The Budget Cycle
1. Guidelines
and ceilings
established
2. Draft
budget
developed
and
consulted
3. Negotiation
4. Review and
approval
5.
Disbursement,
expenditure,
monitoring

9. The Budget Cycle: Entry Points
1. Guidelines
and ceilings
established
2. Draft
budget
developed
and consulted
3. Negotiation
4. Review and
approval
5.
Disbursement,
expenditure,
monitoring
WHAT: health Ceiling, geographic
distribution, new priorities
HOW: Shape dialogue at national
level, targeting ministry of finance
Adapted From: R. Mbuya-Brown and H. Sapuwa, Health Budget Advocacy: A Guide for Civil Society in Malawi (Washington, DC: Futures Group, 2015).

10. Review
•Prepare medium term strategic goal
•Campaign promises
•Needs
•Economic and fiscal goals
•Targets

11. Review
At this phase, you can:
•Seek to know what plan the party in power has for the
people
•Communicate the people’s needs to the party
•Document and cost the promise
Line Ministries
• Work with NGOs/CBOs by making relevant information availably

12. The Budget Cycle: Entry Points
1. Guidelines
and ceilings
established
2. Draft
budget
developed
and consulted
3. Negotiation
4. Review and
approval
5.
Disbursement,
expenditure,
monitoring
Adapted From: R. Mbuya-Brown and H. Sapuwa, Health Budget Advocacy: A Guide for Civil Society in Malawi (Washington, DC: Futures Group, 2015).
WHAT: Allocations within
health budget
HOW: Outreach to ministry of
health

13. Budget Formulation (Drafting)
At this phase, CSO’s can influence budget allocations by:
• Researching nutrition needs of different groups
• Disseminating findings of budget analysis
• Producing alternative or ‘shadow’ budgets
• Making suggestions about additions/reallocations to the budget
proposal
Line Ministries can ensure:
• Budget is line with nutrition plans and is adequate
• Be armed with evidence to defend before department
• Lobby influential individuals in MDAs to ensure budget is not removed
• Work closely with NGOs/CSOs for technical assistance in generating
evidence for advocacy/lobbying.

14. The Budget Cycle: Entry Points
1. Guidelines
and ceilings
established
2. Draft
budget
developed
and consulted
3. Negotiation
4. Review and
approval
5.
Disbursement,
expenditure,
monitoring
Adapted From: R. Mbuya-Brown and H. Sapuwa, Health Budget Advocacy: A Guide for Civil Society in Malawi (Washington, DC: Futures Group, 2015).
WHAT: Support
state actors in
negotiations
HOW: Provide
evidence to justify
budget request

15. The Budget Cycle: Entry Points
1. Guidelines
and ceilings
established
2. Draft
budget
developed
and consulted
3. Negotiation
4. Review and
approval
5.
Disbursement,
expenditure,
monitoring
Adapted From: R. Mbuya-Brown and H. Sapuwa, Health Budget Advocacy: A Guide for Civil Society in Malawi (Washington, DC: Futures Group,
2015).
WHAT: Build
support among
parliament
HOW: Outreach
to committee
members and
media

16. Enactment (Approval by Parliament)
At this phase, CSOs can increase public awareness of the nutrition
budget by:
• Campaigning to make the enactment process open and transparent
• Publishing a critical synopsis of the budget
• Engaging with the media (to act as a watchdog), officials (to gain access
to information) and the public (to increase pressure to make the process
more open and transparent)
• Working with parliamentarians to influence reallocations or changes to the
budget proposal
Line Ministries
• Supply relevant information to shape campaign in favour of nutrition
• Budget defense done by one educated on nutrition issues

17. The Budget Cycle: Entry Points
1. Guidelines
and ceilings
established
2. Draft
budget
developed
and consulted
3. Negotiation
4. Review and
approval
5.
Disbursement,
expenditure,
monitoring
Adapted From: R. Mbuya-Brown and H. Sapuwa, Health Budget Advocacy: A Guide for Civil Society in Malawi (Washington, DC: Futures Group, 2015).
WHAT: Highlight issues
and increase
transparency
HOW: Track
expenditures against
allocations and
disseminate
discrepancies

18. Execution (Implementation)
At this phase, CSOs can help citizens hold the government to
account by:
• Organizing local budget advocacy groups
• Measuring the impact of budget allocations and disseminating findings
• Monitoring implementation/budget spending throughout the budget
cycle
Line Ministries
• Collaborate with local budget groups to promote transparency &
accountability and efficient use of scarce resources
• Submit you memos on time and lobby to get approval/releases/cash
backing
• Focus spending on high impact nutrition intervention
• Make sure your burn rate is high

19. Auditing (Checking that funds were spent as planned)
• At this phase, CSOs can contribute to the review of the budget
by:
• Researching the impact on specific population groups (e.g. urban and
rural communities, women, children, people with disabilities, or people
from minority ethnic communities)
• Weighing up inputs against outputs
• Making recommendations about how the following year’s budget
allocation for the nutrition sector needs to change
Line Ministries
• Efficient documentation to show impact of intervention
• Efficient use of resources for maximum impact

20. Monitoring Budget Outcomes for Accountability
•Level of spending: Is the amount spent adequate? Do
expenditures match allocations?
•Composition of spending: Are expenditures aligned
with needs and priorities?
•Efficiency of spending: Are funds spent well? Is
wastage minimized?
Adapted From: Save the Children, Health Sector Budget Advocacy: A Guide for Civil Society Organisations, 2013.

21. Success factors
• Partnerships and alliances - Government, CSOs, Legislators, people
directly affected
• Access to credible and timely information
• Persistence, dedication and ongoing work
• Sustainability of gains is more when those directly affected are
involved
• Understanding of how to navigate political terrain
• Local – National – International (Interconnect for greater results)
• Strong coalition building- great strategy
• Readiness to seize moments that presents itself to engage for change

22. 3. Budget
ADVOCACY
Action Plan
Development

23. “What is an Action Plan?”

24. Definition
“An action plan is a document that lists what steps must
be taken in order to achieve a specific goal. The purpose
of an action plan is to clarify what resources are required
to reach the goal, formulate a timeline for when specific
tasks need to be completed and determine what
resources are required”

25. GOOD ACTION PLAN
•The action plan should meet several criteria.
•Is the action plan:
Complete? Does it list all the action steps or changes to be
sought
Clear? Is it apparent who will do what by when?
Current? Does the action plan reflect the current work? Does
it anticipate newly emerging opportunities and barriers

26. Benefits of action planning

27. Budget Advocacy Strategy Development
•Objective (SMARTER)
•Audience (Constituents, opponents, allies)
•Message
•Partners and alliances
•Message delivery
•Action plan

28. Key Considerations in budget advocacy Action Planning
•Working with insiders (SNOs, Directors, PS etc.)
•working with Influencers (Governors wife, Friends
of Governor etc.)
•working with allies and champions (Any person
with influence & is passionate about issues)
•working with coalitions or networks
•working with media

29. Group Work: Action plan on Budget Advocacy
Participants working in groups will use template below to draw up plans on how to implement
budget advocacy in their states
Specific objectives
Expected Results
Advocacy Targets & allies
Resources
S/N Activity By whom Timeline Budget
Risks/Challenges to Achieve
Specific Objectives
Strategies to Mitigate
Risks/Challenges:

30. References
• PRB NA4L - Budget Mapping2.pptx: Adapted From: Save the Children, Health Sector
Budget Advocacy: A Guide for Civil Society Organisations, 2013.
• https://www.internationalbudget.org
• CS-SUNN Budgeting for Health and Nutrition: Trend Analysis 2017