The United States has allocated $50 million for 2023 general elections.
Gatekeepers News reports that the US Consul General, Will Stevens announced this on Monday in Ibadan capital of Oyo State, South West Nigeria during an open session of election reporting workshop for journalists organised by West Africa Broadcast & Media Academy (WABMA).
The budget will cover training of journalists, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and technical assistance among others to ensure transparent exercise.
Will noted that US government has been working closely with partners through US Agency for International Development(USAID) to ensure that every vote counts.
According to him: “The US government has allocated over $50 million for technical assistance and support, trainings, for civil society organizations to support elections, transparency, elections processes, technical assistance, working on the IT systems among others.”
He stressed that US will continue to emphasise the value of voting and protecting a free press.
He said: “We’re committed to initiatives here in Nigeria to build needed capacity. We funded training for hundreds of journalists on topics ranging from fact checking, health reporting, defense and national security reporting, investigative journalism, election reporting and media ethics.”
