From Olukayode Idowu
Kano State has signed a Mutual Accountability Framework (MAF) with the United Kingdom.
The signing of the agreement on Thursday made the state, the third in the country as Jigawa State and Kaduna states had earlier done on 16 June and 30th June 2021, respectively.
The three states were picked by the United Kingdom for her mutual accountability approach
The signing was done after the United Kingdom’s (UK) Development Director in Nigeria, Dr Christopher Pycroft, and representatives from the British High Commission held a Strategic Dialogue with the Kano State Government to discuss the Kano Mutual Accountability Framework (MAF) between 11th and 12th August.
A statement on Thursday by the British High Commission in Nigeria signed by Policy and Communications Manager, Elva Lynch-Bathgate, said the UK and Kano State Government agreed Mutual Accountability Framework and held strategic dialogue focused on Health, Education, Social Protection, Good Governance, and Sustainable Economic Transformation.
The statement revealed that the Kano MAF, which was signed on 12th August by the UK and Kano State Government, is a policy document that provides the blueprint for the socio-economic development of Kano State, aligned with the overarching Kano State Development Plan (2020-2025).
The statement further said the framework formed the basis for the dialogue with both parties setting out their commitments and ways to hold each other mutually accountable to deliver on these.
During the dialogue, technical sessions were held to identify constraints and opportunities and how best the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) can support the Kano State Government to address them and progress delivery of the mutual accountability framework.
The statement read that through this strengthened partnership, mutual commitments, dialogue, transparency, and accountability, greater impact will be achieved in supporting the Kano State Government’s own efforts.
At the strategic dialogue, the UK Development Director in Nigeria, based at the British High Commission, Dr Christopher Pycroft said: “This Strategic Dialogue to discuss our mutual accountability commitments affords us all the opportunity to do more. Kano State faces many challenges on the road to sustainable development – but this Mutual Accountability Framework is a call to action. We can use this strategic dialogue to discuss what both sides can do differently to deliver more results for the people of the state and empower them to fulfil their potential.”
He noted that this dialogue represented the third of a series of high-level engagements between the UK and the state governments of Kano, Kaduna, and Jigawa, as earlier this year, the UK also signed Mutual Accountability Framework’s with Jigawa State and Kaduna State.
According to him, these partnerships will drive forward development and support long-term institutional reforms to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for citizens in the state. The strategic dialogues and accountability frameworks also deepen the existing strong relationships with partner states.
With the signing, both the FCDO and partner governments are accountable to the citizens to demonstrate how UK aid is supporting governments’ development agendas and policies.
The Kano MAF was signed at a primary school in Dawakin Tofa LGA, an initiative by the Kano State Governor, which is supported by UK aid, which demonstrates how the UK-Kano partnership is already delivering real impact on the ground.
Through the Kano Literacy and Maths Accelerator (KaLMA) project the school is supported to deliver with the Teaching at the Right Level approach (TaRL), which assesses children on foundational skills and groups them by learning level. Since 2019, through KaLMA over 36,000 primary school children have been supported to build foundational Hausa and English literacy and numeracy skills. During school closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the KaLMA project pivoted to support the Kano State Government’s efforts to help children continue learning from home. With UK aid, support on home-based and remote learning, including radio broadcasts, has reached children across Kano with programmes in Hausa, English, and Maths.
During this visit, the Development Director, Dr Christopher Pycroft said: “Today I went with His Excellency Governor Ganduje to see how UK development assistance is supporting the Governor’s ambition to improve teaching and learning for Kano’s children. Through our Strategic Dialogue and Mutual Accountability Framework which we signed today, we have further deepened the relationship between the UK and Kano state in support of the people of Kano.”
On his part, during the strategic dialogue, the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, stated that “There is no doubt the relationship between FCDO and the State is helping us to strengthen our institutions. For any sustainable development there must be strong institutions”, adding “We are partners in progress”. The statement said FCDO Nigeria has played a strong role over the past decade in the development and growth of Kano and will continue to partner with the state for a sustainable, empowered, and accountable development path for its people.