Following the Federal Executive Council’s approval, the Ministry of Budget and National Planning is set to organise focused laboratories.
This is according to a statement issued by Akpandem James, special adviser (media) to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma.
The laboratories, the statement said, would bring together relevant stakeholders in the public and private sectors into weeks of intensive working sessions to brainstorm on practical steps to overcoming any identified challenges in the implementation of the country’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).
Also, the laboratories will serve as an effective tool for ensuring robust engagement between the public and private sectors to resolve challenges within a specified sector.
The action is said to be a fall-out of the Federal Government Cabinet Retreat on ERGP Implementation held in Abuja on the 10th of August this year with the theme “Getting Implementation Right.”
The statement reads in part: “A major outcome of the retreat was the need for Nigeria to conduct focused labs, drawing from the Malaysian model, which will drive quick delivery of the major outcomes of the ERGP.
“The initial labs will be in agriculture and transportation, in power and gas, and in manufacturing and processing. Thereafter, similar labs will be conducted in other areas, such as entertainment and tourism, health and education amongst others.
READ ALSO: COFFHA Holds Anniversary
“The planned labs will be directed by relevant Ministers and senior government officials, with the participation of captains of industry and potential investors, both Nigerian, as well as major international companies.
“Young and aspiring entrepreneurs will also be invited to participate. Already the Federal Government has set up an ERGP implementation team located in the Ministry of Budget and National Planning who will be coordinating the labs. These staff will be supported by some consultants from Malaysia who will facilitate the first three pilot labs after which their services will no longer be required.”
The labs, which will run for about three months in three separate phases (pre-laboratory, laboratory and post laboratory), will involve about 100 persons each drawn from both the public and private sectors.
The aim is to get private sector involvement in achieving the objectives of the plan, by mobilising private sector financing and resources.
The objectives of the laboratories are to identify all relevant key stakeholders from the public and private sectors that are crucial in the delivery and implementation of the various initiatives of the ERGP so as to create ownership
It will also review and re-evaluate the ERGP and sectoral plans against set targets and progress; identify gaps in the current eco-system and the key success factors and deliver detailed three-feet implementation programme line by line and identify entry point projects.
Other objectives of the laboratories are to identify key performance indicators, activities, budgets, timelines, milestones and responsible action parties; break down silos and encouraging key players in MDAs to work together in an intensive co-creation manner and mobilise private sector investment to finance specific capital projects.