By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Stakeholders from the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning at the 21st Edition of the Joint Planning Board of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning at a two day meeting moved for friendly policy options to drive the development of the nation.
The 2 Day Conference held in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State with the theme ,”Good Governance and Institutional Capacity: Pathway to Sustainable National Development” comprised of Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries of Economic Planning at the Sub-national including critical Stakeholders to brainstorm and plans formulation with a view to proposing policy options that would enhance the economy.
Ebonyi State governor, His Excellency, Engr. David Uweze Umahi, who officially opened the forum noted that the theme of the conference, was in line with the policies of the Ebonyi Government which places high priority on good governance and sustainable development with testimonies of the changed narratives by indigenes.
The Deputy Governor who represented the governor added that the State Government was mindful of the economic challenges facing the country and also the need to institutionalize good practice, which has yielded success.
He urged all participants both to f adhere to all the proceedings and make inputs for the good of Nigeria.
Permanent Secretary, Budget and National Planning and Chairperson of the Board, Mrs. Olusola Idowu, noted that the theme of this year’s gathering was apt considering the fact that Nigeria for many decades had been faced with a lot of challenges working against her development as a nation.
According to Idowu some of the challenges include: weak institutions, policy inconsistencies, mono-cultural dependence on oil, weak coordination mechanism, and lack of attitudinal change, among others.
She notef that sustainable development hinged on the total commitment of both the leadership and follower-ship adding that both parties must work together in harmony to achieve the desired goals of the country.
Furthermore she stressed that pursuant of sustainable national development, accountability, transparency, efficiency and rule of law at all levels are crucial.
The Permanent Secretary charged stakeholders to brain storm on the theme of the meeting, relating institutional capacity to governance at all levels and proffer policy options while taking into cognizance the peculiarities of the country to remedy the development challenges.
Idowu said, ‘’ I urge you to make use of the meeting and come up with far-reaching recommendations that when implemented, would improve the socio-economic development of Nigeria.”
She lauded the Government of Ebonyi State for demonstrating an exemplary leadership quality in the deliverance of dividends of democracy to the people of Ebonyi State, especially n the areas of road construction, provision of quality education, health care services, Agriculture and strong collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Commissioners of budget and economic planning forum (CoP), Hon. Solomon B. Elisha who is the Commissioner, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Taraba State, promised that the JPB/NCDP event would always provide the platform for robust discussions of ideas and recommendations that would lead to sustainable national development.
In the light of the theme, he said, ‘’Good governance is essential for sustaining economic transformation in developing countries. but stressed that many developing countries currently lack the capacity to achieve this feat.
He stated that lack of good governance has been demonstrated to have corrosive effects on the development process. ”
Such poor governance has been shown, among other things to undermine democracy, subvert the rule of law, entrench corruption, scare of foreign investment.”
He noted that Capacity had been identified as one of the missing links in Africa’s development and democratization. In the context of governance, capacity entails the ability of an institution of governance – the legislature, executive, judiciary, civil society or private sector – to perform its constitutionally or politically mandated functions or roles efficiently and effectively.
He admonished, ‘’As we pursue capacity development for good governance, both national and sub-nationals must ensure that such initiatives are comprehensively designed to be simultaneously related to change and transformation at the individual, institutional and societal levels and to be owned and controlled locally’’.
The Director General/Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) who was represented by the Senior Economist of the Forum, David Nabena, stated that ‘’Good governance is a tailwind for sustainable development, as it creates an environment for the rule of law, accountability, transparency, inclusiveness, responsiveness, and efficiency in government administration’’.
Institutional capacity on the other hand, portends a great opportunity to leapfrog through the pathways of development, even in environments where good governance tenets were not fully entrenched, Nabena maintained.
The Lead Paper titled: Unlocking the Nigerian Economy through the National Development Plan (2021-2025): The Implementation Strategies was presented by S.A to the President on Finance & Economy Dr. Sarah Alade, represented by the Director, Department of Macro- Economic Analysis, Budget and National Planning, Mr. David Adeosun .
The 1st plenary session featured papers on: Developing Effective Accountable and Transparent Institutions at all levels, Open Government Partnership: Co-creation as a Strategic Mechanism for National Public Reform-a Case for OGP and Government Business, Smart Technology and Digital Economy.
Daybreak reports that the conference was organized by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (Planning Arm), in collaboration with Ebonyi State Government.
