Nigeria's Budget Lacks Development Cooperation Records

A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reveals that Nigeria does not record any of its development cooperation flows in its national budget, which restricts formal scrutiny of external resources. The report, titled "Making Development Co-operation More Effective Progress Report 2026," indicates that only 35% of development indicators can be tracked with government data.

It also highlights a decline in the provision of forward-spending plans by development partners, dropping from 22% in 2018 to 17%. Furthermore, the use of Nigeria's public financial management systems by development partners decreased from 79% to 63%.

The absence of recorded development cooperation flows represents a significant deterioration from 49% in 2018, limiting legislative oversight. Despite Nigeria's strong stakeholder engagement in national development strategies, external resources are not fully integrated into the budgeting process.

The report emphasizes the need for improved transparency and accountability in development cooperation.