The Gombe state government and civil society organisations have renewed commitment to promoting citizen participation, transparency and accountability in the state’s budget and development processes.

The Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Hon. Salihu Baba Alkali, represented by the Director of Budget, Muhammad Adamu, said this during the presentation of the 2025 Citizens’ Accountability Report to civil society organisations and community leaders in Gombe-north and Gombe-south senatorial districts on Friday.

Alkali said the report reflected the government’s commitment to transparent, accountable and responsive governance, describing it as an important tool for building public confidence and strengthening the relationship between government and citizens.

He urged participants to ask questions, make constructive contributions and provide feedback capable of improving public resource management and service delivery.

The engagement, organised by the Gombe State Civil Society Network (GONET), brought together government officials, civil society organisations, community leaders, youth representatives and members of the media to deliberate on budget accountability and citizens’ participation in governance.

The Chairman of GONET, Amb. Ibrahim Yusuf, said continuous engagement with citizens was improving accountability and communication between government and communities.

He said the network was promoting constructive dialogue rather than simply blaming the government, by providing citizens with information about policies, budgets and development projects.

Yusuf noted that GONET also serves as a platform for citizens to communicate their needs and priorities to the government, creating a two-way engagement that has contributed to the inclusion of some community-driven projects in government budgets.

He said GONET would sustain its engagement with communities until information gaps and misconceptions between citizens and government were substantially reduced.

He commended GONET for its efforts and called for wider participation to strengthen government-community relations, improve transparency and enhance service delivery and development across Gombe State.