Institutional Reforms to Attract Greater Investment inflow, says  Agba

Institutional Reforms to Attract Greater Investment inflow, says  Agba

The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, has stated that successful institutional reforms will encourage greater investment inflow into Nigeria, positioning the country to overcome unemployment, poverty and promoting significant growth of the Economy.

This, according him, was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in ten years.

The Minister made this assertion during the opening ceremony and launching of a Sensitization Workshop on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the National Planning Arm of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, recently, in Abuja.

“It is my firm belief that a systematic change in management prevents many problems before they arise and also offers a method for dealing with them while minimizing the impact of the problems,” he said.

He maintained that the workshop was therefore important for a successful re-engineering of the National Planning Arm of the Ministry to engender efficiency, quality output, increased productivity and uniformity of performance while reducing duplication, miscommunication and failure to comply with processes, procedures and regulations.

Prince Agba, however, noted that it was not just a vague aspiration because “with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), you could achieve the same results without sacrificing growth.”

“SOPs provide the ethical and professional principles as well as step-by-step guidance on providing appropriate services. This will be especially important during the technical sessions of the ongoing Medium Term National Development Plan that will commence from 2021-2025 and the Long Term perspective plan which is Agenda 2050,” he added.

The Minister said that, the compendium would incorporate the perspective of proper working environment, training of personnel and favorable outcome in every stream of the Ministry’s endeavours by providing and strengthening institutional structures as well as laying down clear response mechanisms, roles and responsibilities.

He expressed his enthusiasm and confidence that successful delivery of the implementation of the SOPs would usher in a new dawn in the reform drive of the Ministry and the Public Sector in general, adding that the workshop would build the capacity of staff to achieve the expected results.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Olusola Idowu, represented by the Director Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, Dr Anne Nzegwu, restated the importance of the workshop.

She said that it would enhance effective and efficient re-engineering of the Ministry towards service delivery.

Idowu further enjoined the staff to contribute objectively to all deliberations and also acquaint themselves with the content of the document for its seamless implementation.