From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
THE National Economic Summit Group (NESG) has invited five governors as representatives of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) to discuss funds mobilisation strategies at the 28th edition of the Summit, scheduled for November 14-15 in Abuja.
A statement by Head, Media and Public Affairs, Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, said delegation of the NESG led by its DG, Laoye Jaiyeola made the disclosure during a visit on Tuesday to the NGF chairman and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal.
The NESG is inviting Governor Tambuwal to provide his perspective on the resource constraints in the delivery of primary healthcare across states and challenges faced with the acquisition and management of funds for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), at the subnational level.
Four other Governors invited to sit as panellists at various stages of the Summit include: Kaduna’s Nasiru El Rufai, Gombe’s Inuwa Yahya, Edo’s Godwin Obaseki and Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State.
Tambuwal, in his remarks, noted that the NESG has helped the Nigerian Economy in stemming its further drift into economic doldrums.
He praised the previous 27 editions and encouraged them to continue to hold such conversations to excite awareness, productivity and accountability among Nigerians.
He said as the country approaches a transition such conversations have become necessary to set an agenda that would influence decisions on the future of the country.
The NGF Chairman reiterated the importance of the collaboration between the NGF and the NESG saying they both play very strong roles that add value in helping heal the economy.
Tambuwal pledged his total support to the Group and promised to deploy his position as Chairman of the NGF to galvanise the rest of the governors into supporting the Summit.
In the words of the NESG, domestic resource mobilisation remains one of the key drivers of fiscal viability and stability and is therefore inviting Soludo as a Professor of Economics and with his experience as a former Central Bank Governor, to share his perspectives on strategies for mobilising capital from within and outside Nigeria.
The Edo State governor would share his perspectives on the cruciality of human capital development and its multiplier effect on the economy, the Gombe governor will speak about sharing innovative approaches to improving business environments, particularly for MSMEs.