By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Federal Government in partnership with the United Kingdom has taken steps to strengthen the National Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system in Nigeria which is aimed at achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s $1trillion economy by the year 2030.
This places Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the center of governance and national development as M&E is no longer merely a technical reporting function but a strategic priority at all levels of government.
This was disclosed by the Minister of State, Budget and Economic planning, Dr. Doris Uzoka Anite in her keynote address during the closing ceremony and presentation of certificates to Participants at the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and Result Based Management Capacity Development Workshop held in Abuja
Dr. Anite, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Deborah Odoh, opined that meeting the citizens’ expectations of feasible improvements on infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, education, housing, transportation and employment opportunities requires continuous monitoring of implementation progress, timely reporting and objective performance assessment across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
She further reaffirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s resolve on the delivery of the Renewed Hope Agenda which requires a governance culture anchored on accountability, measurable outcomes and citizen-focused service delivery.
She therefore called on participants to recommit themselves towards building 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 Economic Counsellor, British High Commission, Abuja, Mahesh Mishra who spoke earlier, expressed his gratitude to the federal government for supporting this workshop through the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP). He disclosed that this workshop marks a significant phase for participants and urged them to deploy tools and skills acquired during the programme to their work and output.
He informed that the workshop supported by the UK Government through the Nigeria Public Finance Facility (NPFF), was comprising of Planning Officers across MDAs, he therefore appreciated the federal government for the opportunity to collaborate, saying that the Nigerian and the UK government share a strong economic relationship and he is positive that there will be more opportunities for citizens of both countries to create wealth.
The National Team Lead, Nigeria Public Finance Facility, Chinedum Nwoko, while reflecting on the workshop objectives, disclosed that the intervention emerged after various engagements between the British High Commission and the Management of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, he said gaps were identified and the need for this intervention was highlighted and two interconnected reform worksheets were produced.
He said, this intervention reflects a shift from traditional government recipient model to cross partnership-based approach which supports reform priorities in order to strengthen domestic institutional capacity.
While delivering her closing remarks, the Deputy Director of the Monitoring and Evaluation Department, Margaret Dibigbo, appreciated the Management staff of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the British High Commission, Abuja, facilitators and participants, saying their participation was an added advantage towards institutionalizing Monitoring and Evaluation in their various MDAs.
