Ebonyi state government has been enjoyed to improve investment in basic education and healthcare delivery.

The call was made by the Deputy Chief of Party of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness (State2State) Activity, Mr John Onyeukwu in Enugu on Monday during the State Action Planning Retreat of Ebonyi State Transformation Committee (STC).

He said State2State Project is USAID funded programme aimed at increasing accountability, transparency and effectiveness of governance in targeted states noting that its currently being implemented in six partner states of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Gombe and Sokoto.

Onyeukwu said that critical services covered in the project included education, healthcare, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

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The deputy chief of party said that the programme was aiding the state government to reform its public finance management system and procurement audit among others.

He said that the programme was also supporting the state government to develop Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Strategic Document in order to raise enough IGR.

He said that the state government had been identified to be doing a lot in terms of reforming the state economy.

“Ebonyi is seen as having the willingness to reform. They are interested in having strong institutions.

“We hope that the state will raise enough IGR so as to invest more in basic education, primary healthcare and WASH,” he said.

Onyeukwu called on other states in the South-East to learn from the what the government of Ebonyi was doing in order to open up their states for more investments.

In his address, the Executive Director, Development and Integrity Goal Foundation, Mr Chima Ajah, said that the State2State project would expand the civic space and broaden citizen’s participation in governance process.

Ajah said that the project would also improve service delivery in all aspects of governance in the state.

Earlier, the State Team Lead, Mr Sam Onyia, said that the project started in the state in November 2020.

He said that they had done a lot, including strengthening of the IGR of the state, since the commencement of the project.