2019: Obiano presents deficit budget of N157.1 bn

Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano has presented a deficit budget  of N157.1 billion,which is  a shortfall of about N9 billion in the 2018 budget of N166.9 billion.

Presenting the budget christened “Budget of Sustained Economic Growth and Youth Empowerment”, governor Obiano said the proposed budget has a spending ration of N65.33 billion  for recurrent expenditure and capital expenditure of N91.8 billion and seeks to sustain the previous performance

Governor Obiano stated that the sum of N41.3 percent has been earmarked as recurrent expenditure and N58.7 billion for capital expenditure to drive the administration’s policy thrust of sustaining economic growth and youth empowerment.

He said that in demonstration of his administration’s determination to continue to deliver good governance and purposeful leadership to the people of the state, his administration will continue to intervene on the key sector of roads and bridges which has a budget of N22.4 billion out of which construction of new roads will gulp the sum of N20.9 billion and Anambra State Road Maintenance Agency will receive N1.5 billion.

He pointed out that his administration will continue to embark on key strategic developmental initiatives aimed at improving the quality of healthcare services for the people of the state, hence the provision of N9 billion in next year’s budget, with additional allocation of the sum of N2 billion to the National Health Insurance Scheme to ensure adequate implementation of the programme statewide, in addition to utilizing over N1 billion in the construction and equipping of the Anambra State University Teaching Hospital and N2 billion for rehabilitation and re-equipping of general hospitals

 In education, governor Obiano stated that the state’s commitment to deliver a globally competitive education requires a proper funding which informs the provision of capital funding to the tune of  N11.9 billion.

The governor stated that the Community-Chose -Your Project Scheme for development initiatives in the 181 communities in the state has a budget of N2.8 billion for the third phase, noting that the State has set up the Community Social Development Agency with support of the World Bank to improve infrastructural development across poor and vulnerable communities.

He stated that the government has earmarked the sum of N1 billion in commitment funds to ensure that the Anambra Airport City Project is executed to the letter with the hope that the project will unlock the economic growth of the South-east region and position Anambra state as the leading hub in the aviation industry in Africa.

By Osiberoha Osibe