COVID-19: Connected Development trains youth on budget tracking

Connected Development (CODE), a civil society organisation, has trained youth on tracking budgets and COVID-19 donations.

The programme, which is line with the organisation’s Follow The Money initiative, engaged selected youth in Lagos state for two days on how to track contracts and advocate for change.

In 2019, Follow The Money, an initiative of CODE, won the United Nations mobiliser of the year award at the SDG Global Fest in Germany.

Speaking on the impact of the training on Wednesday, Adesina Tosin, CODE’s south-west lead, said engaging the youths in the process of tracking budgeted funds will curb corruption and promote participatory democracy.

“The recently concluded two days CODE training was a capacity building avenue for selected youths in the state to partake in societal building process,” he said.

“CODE with the support of ActionAid through this participants will engage in project tracking in several communities in Lagos State after the programme and lots of online sensitization will take place. However, we can’t send them out without equipping them with the right skills, hence the training.

“The impact of this project tracking is that it helps to curtail corruption, aid growth in the society and promote participatory democracy.

“This is actually not a first as we started with the #FollowCOVID19Money campaign which seeks to track donations received by states for COVID-19 to prevent diversion and ensure transparency.”

Onuegbu Chidinma, a participant, described the training as an opportunity to make positive impact in the society.

“I learnt ways to implement different projects and connect with people in different ways at the community level,” she said.