By Oluwatope Lawanson
Lagos State Government on Thursday pledged to attach high premium to issues relating to infrastructure renewal and development as well as capacity building that would enhance youth entrepreneurship and wealth creation.
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu made the pledge at a two-day South West Zonal workshop on preparation of the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021-2025).
The workshop was organised by the Lagos State Government in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the workshop had the theme: “Achieving Effective Participation of Sub-nationals in the Development, Implementation and Monitoring of the 2021-2025 Medium Term National Development Plan“.
Sanwo-Olu, represented by his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, said that the government would key into opportunities provided by the Federal Government to ensure that yearnings and aspirations of citizens were adequately reflected in the medium-term national development plan.
“I am aware that part of the major goals of the Medium Term National Development Plan is to lift 34 million Nigerians out of poverty and generate 25 million jobs by 2025.
“Towards achieving this goal, the planned total investment size which will be allocated to sectors programmes and projects in the plan is estimated at N348.1 trillion.
“These goals are no doubt laudable as they seeks to address the critical challenges of poverty eradication and growing unemployment rate among our youths which for the last quarter of 2020 stood at 33 per cent,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu, therefore, urged all stakeholders to work together and show the commitment required through step-by-step implementation of the strategies, policies and programmes that would be articulated in the final development plan document.
He said that the vision of the plan was for Lagos to become Africa’s model mega city and global economic hub that would be safe, secure, functional and productive.
He added that the mission was to achieve poverty eradication and sustainable economic growth through infrastructure renewal and development.
“We will harness opportunities and potential in less optimised sectors like entertainment and tourism, achieving food security among others,” he said.
In his address of welcome, Mr Sam Egube, the state Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, said that the essence of the workshop was to promote and provide an overarching long-term strategic guide for growth and development in all South West states and by extension, Nigeria.
Egube said that it would also help stakeholders in economy to develop, synergise and contribute to the improvement of quality of life of the people in South West states.
He said the vision of Lagos State to become Africa‘s model mega city and global economic and financial hub that would be safe, secure, functional and productlve began with the Lagos State Development Plan of 2012 -2025
The commissioner called on stakeholders to ensure inclusiveness, eradicate poverty and guarantee sustainable development growth and infrastructure development.
“The ultimate goal is to improve the standard of living of the people of South West through increased productivity, effective and efficient resource management driven by well-equipped human capital,” he said.
Mr Umaru Abu, Federal Reform Lead, Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, called on state governments to generate the necessary support for sustained political commitment and establish mechanisms to co-ordinate progress.
Abu urged them to invest in effective systems for monitoring and analysis with transparent reporting on results.
According to him, it is important that the state government ensures a functional and fit-for-purpose performance measurement system to help assess what is working and what is not, so as to make necessary adjustments in a timely manner.
He said in other to effectively tackle complex issues, there was need to ensure interactions among various policies in the economic, social, environmental, legal and political domains toward inclusive sustainable growth.
According to him, participation of sub-nationals is critical to not just the development of the much-anticipated plans, but also to their implementation and sustainability. (NAN)
•PHOTO: L-R; Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Ministry of Economic Planning & Budget, Chief Bunmi Alade; Chief Resilience Officer, Lagos State, Dr Folayinka Dania; Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning & Budget, Mr Sam Egube; Lagos Deputy Gov. Obafemi Hamzat, representative of Lagos Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Iyabo Ayoola; and Special Adviser to the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mrs Elizabeth Ebosele.
