Financial Allocation and Management Practices for Staff Capacity Building in Universities in North-West, Nigeria

This study examined financial allocation and management practices for staff capacity building in universities in North-West Nigeria.Specifically, the study investigated the adequacy of financial allocation for staff development programmes, the extent to which allocated funds are utilized, and the influence of financial management practices on staff capacity building.A descriptive survey research design was adopted.The study population comprised 25,020 management, academic, and non-teaching staff drawn from selected public universities in the study area, from which a sample of 444 respondents was selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques.Data were collected using a structured questionnaire validated by experts, while the split-half method produced a reliability coefficient of 0.97.Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, whereas Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance.The findings revealed that financial allocation for staff capacity-building programmes was generally adequate (Grand Mean = 2.62), although conference attendance, symposium participation, and timely release of approved funds were inadequate.The study also found that allocated funds were utilized to a high extent (Grand Mean = 2.57), while financial management practices exerted a high influence on staff capacity building (Grand Mean = 2.69).ANOVA results further showed significant differences in the opinions of management, KADA International Multidisciplinary Journal of Education, Vol. 2, Issue 2, September (2026) ISSN: 3156-4674 (p) academic, and non-teaching staff on financial allocation (F = 8.456, p = 0.000), fund utilization (F = 6.327, p = 0.002), and financial management practices (F = 4.218, p = 0.015).The study concluded that strengthening financial allocation, improving fund utilization, and promoting transparent financial management practices are essential for effective staff capacity building in universities.