The inaugural Public Finance: Unlocking Last-Mile Services Summit has called for stronger citizen participation in Nigeria’s budgeting process, the summit stressed the need for governments to fund achievable projects and ensure that approved budgets translate into real services for citizens.
Organised by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) Nigeria, the summit held on September 3, 2026. It brought together policymakers, public finance experts and other stakeholders to examine why government budgets often fail to deliver services at the community level.
Summit Focuses On Achievable Projects
A major message from the summit was the need for governments to focus on projects they can realistically complete.
Participants stressed that budget planning should reflect the actual needs of communities. They also warned against including projects that governments cannot effectively fund or complete.
The summit highlighted key services such as healthcare, education and water. These services directly affect citizens, making their effective delivery a major measure of government performance.
Citizens Must Help Decide Projects
The summit also emphasised the importance of citizen involvement in budget decisions.
Participants argued that communities should have a voice in deciding which projects receive priority. Citizens understand many of the challenges in their communities and can help identify projects that will have the greatest impact.
The approach could also reduce spending on projects that communities do not consider urgent.
Tracking Government Spending
Another major issue was the need to track government budgets from approval to implementation.
Participants stressed that citizens should not only know what governments budget for. They should also be able to follow how the money moves and whether projects actually reach completion.
The summit therefore featured the launch of a live Reform Tracker. The platform will allow the public to monitor government spending commitments and reforms over time.
Implementation Remains A Major Challenge
Taiwo Oyedele, who participated in the summit, stressed that Nigeria’s biggest budget challenge does not always lie in approving budgets.
The bigger problem, he said, often comes during implementation.
Manual processes and ineffective fund management can slow down the delivery of approved projects. This can create a gap between what governments promise in budgets and what citizens eventually receive.
The summit therefore called for better systems that can track public funds and improve implementation.
From Budget Approval To Real Services
The discussions ultimately focused on one major question: What happens after government approves a budget?
For citizens, the answer should be visible in better roads, functional hospitals, improved schools, reliable water supply and other essential services.
The summit’s message was clear. Budgeting should not end with approval.
Governments must select achievable projects, track spending and involve citizens in decisions. Citizens, in turn, need access to information that allows them to monitor how public funds are used.
The organisers hope the Reform Tracker and stronger public participation will help close the gap between government budgets and the services Nigerians receive at the last mile.
