From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The Federal Government has offered to support the Government of Gombe State in the implementation of its 10-year development plan, the Development Agenda for Gombe State (DEVAGOM), which seeks to transform the state in pursuant of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Speaking at the unveiling of the DEVAGOM on Tuesday in Gombe, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isah Ali Pantami, stated that the setting-up of policy target for the development of the state was in line with the plans of the federal government.
According to the minister, plans have been activated to develop a national development plan for the country. He explained that the plan which is being developed by his ministry and that of budget and national planning is expected to have the short term plan which will be for 2021 to 2030 and that the long-term plan would be for 2021 to 2050.
While commending the state government for planning ahead, Pantami tasked the government as well as other stakeholders in the state on the implementation of the already produced plan.
‘As we all know that whoever fails to plan has planned to fail, it is because of this that we must plan in order to avoid failure.
‘The Development of the policy or the plan is one thing while the implementation is another. So the main challenge on the table now is to come together as stakeholders and ensure that we go beyond the development and ensure the successfully implemented.’
Dr Pantami assured that the federal government would through the ministry of communication and digital economy support the state government on the implementation of the Information and Communication Technology component of the DEVAGOM.
Speaking shortly before unveiling the document, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya assured that the state government had established necessary structures and institutional reforms to drive and ensure effective implementation.
He said the plan is a product of collaboration between various stakeholders both at the state, national and international levels.
He stated that the state government was working to give the plan the needed legislative backing to ensure institutional legitimacy and guarantee long-term success and sustainability.
The governor who admitted that implementing the plan would require the mobilization of resources both domestic and external also explained that the team had embedded in the plan policies and strategies to enhance efficiency, build transparency and entrench accountability at all levels.
‘It is our vision to guarantee better value for money in order to apply our scare resources so as to foster the rapid development of our dear state.’
