From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, launched the 2021-2025 National Development Plan (NDP), which will focus investment on massive infrastructure, ensure economic stability, enhance the investment environment, improve on social indicators and living conditions of Nigerians.
In attendance to witness the launch held before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, who represented the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, in her opening remark, said the new document replaces the Economic Recovery and Growth Programme.
“The NDP 2021-2025 is designed as our medium term development plan to succeed the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP 2017-2020) which ended in December 2020.
“The ERGP 2017–2020 assisted the country to exit economic recession in 2017, and sustained modest growth until the recent global economic challenges, occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.
“The current challenges are products of many years of inappropriate policies, fiscal leakages and global economic phenomena. This administration is taking necessary actions that will fundamentally change the structure of the economy and how government businesses are conducted for efficiency and effectiveness.”
Ahmed said the plan would help Nigeria achieve robust development in the science and technology sectors.
“The president graciously granted approval to my ministry in 2019 to develop a new national development plan to succeed both ERGP 2017-2020. It is very important to note that the plan is a pointer to the type of Nigeria we all desire and encourages the use of science, technology and innovation to drive growth,” She said.
She said the NDP 2021-2025 would help Nigeria achieve its agendas at the continental and global levels.
“I want to place on record that this plan is sufficiently comprehensive with the capacity to accelerate the attainment of various regional and global agendas, including the AU agenda 2063, ECOWAS integration agenda 2050 and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
“In order to have the future we all desire, the plan is developed to play a sizeable role in the product complexity space internationally and adopts measures to easing constraints that have hindered the economy from attaining its potential, particularly, on the product mapping space,” she said.
The NGF has lauded the Buhari’s administration for the initiative that has created the series of economic development plans so far under its watch, noting that no administration, in Nigeria’s history, has been as inclusive.
NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, who was represented by Bagudu, said the new NDP 2021-2025 was a product of collaboration and consultation between the federal and state governments.
“We had an economic recovery growth plan that expired in 2020, which has achieved the objective of, among others, helping Nigeria exit twice from the recession and now we have a plan in place for 2021-2025 that is further aimed principally at ensuring the gains have been consolidated and Nigerians are being continuously included…,” the governor said.
While presenting the document, the president was assisted by Osinbajo, Mustapha, Bagudu as well as Ahmed.
Others present at the event included ministers of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, Power Abubakar Aliyu, Abubakar Malami, Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, as well as ministers of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, and Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba.