FG, UK Partner to Monitor Projects for Economic Growth
By Patience Ikpeme
The Federal Government has stated that for Nigerians to see real improvements in areas like constant electricity, better hospitals, farming, schools, roads, and jobs, there must be strict and constant checking of how government offices do their work.
To make this happen, the Federal Government is collaborating with the United Kingdom to fix and strengthen the country’s National Monitoring and Evaluation system. This move is part of the plans to achieve President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” which targets growing Nigeria’s economy to a 1 trillion dollar size by the year 2030.
The government made this known during the closing ceremony of a special training workshop on planning, monitoring, and results-based management held for government workers in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Doris Uzoka Anite, explained that checking the progress of government projects is no longer just a routine paperwork exercise, but a major priority for the country.
The Minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Deborah Odoh, stated that the President wants a government where leaders are answerable to the people, and where actual results can be seen by the public.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s resolve on the delivery of the Renewed Hope Agenda requires a governance culture anchored on accountability, measurable outcomes and citizen-focused service delivery,” the Minister said.
She urged the government workers who attended the training to go back to their offices with a renewed mind to build strong institutions. According to her, the goal is to form “institutions that do not merely plan or report activities but deliver and measure impacts and build institutions that remain committed to ensuring that development reaches every community, every ward and every citizen across the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The training program received strong financial support from the United Kingdom government through an initiative called the Nigeria Public Finance Facility.
Also speaking at the event, the Economic Counsellor of the British High Commission in Abuja, Mahesh Mishra, thanked the Federal Government for partnering with the UK. He explained that the training marks a brand-new stage for the participants, and he urged them to use the new skills they have gained to improve their daily work.
“The Nigerian and the UK government share a strong economic relationship and I am positive that there will be more opportunities for citizens of both countries to create wealth,” Mishra said.
Explaining how the program came about, the National Team Lead for the Nigeria Public Finance Facility, Chinedum Nwoko, said that the British High Commission and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning held several meetings where they noticed some gaps in how government projects are monitored. To fix these gaps, they created two reform plans.
Nwoko explained that this new method shows a shift from the old way where Nigeria just received aid, to a proper partnership where both countries work together to make Nigerian government institutions stronger.
In her closing remarks, the Deputy Director of the Monitoring and Evaluation Department, Margaret Dibigbo, thanked the management of the Ministry, the British High Commission, the teachers, and the participants. She noted that their involvement would go a long way in making sure that every government ministry and agency adopts the habit of properly checking and reporting its progress.
