Finance Minister preaches synergy among state commissioners for budget, national planning-Lagos Business News

The minister for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed has called for increased synergy among Commissioners For Budget and National Planning in the 36 states of the federation.

Mrs Ahmed stated this during her welcome address at the 20th edition of the National Council on Development Planning (NCDP) meeting, held in Maiduguri, Borno State, and organized by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (FMFBNP), in collaboration with the Government of Borno State, as a follow-up of its 19th edition which was held in the FCT, Abuja in March 2021.

This year edition of the NCDP meeting themed, “Managing the Nigerian Economy for Sustainable Development in a Challenging Environment: The Way Forward” which was carefully crafted to address the numerous challenges being faced by the Nigerian environment in recent times.

“The NCDP is a meeting of States’ Honourable Commissioners of Budget and Economic Planning organized annually to serve as a veritable platform for Senior Officials of the Federal and State Ministries, Representatives of the Organized Private Sector, Development Partners, Civil Society Organizations to engage in technical discussions on contemporary Economic Policy issues to come up with effective and functional approaches towards enhancing Economic Management Processes at both Federal and Sub-National levels.”

According to her, “It is noteworthy that the objective of this 20th NCDP meeting is for the delegates to discuss deeply on the best adaptable approaches towards effective management of the nation’s economy to foster equitable economic development across the States of Federation even in the face of challenges in the country.

“In the light of this, I want to urge the Honourable Commissioners of Budget and Economic Planning, States’ Permanent Secretaries, Key Stakeholders, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I enjoin you to continue to support and replicate/domesticate the germane economic Policies of the Federal Government in your respective States for developmental consolidation, impactful deliverables and enormous successes.

“Let us all rise together in one spirit and aspiration and build the Nigeria of our dreams especially for the upcoming generation in particular, and the world at large, by ensuring trans-economic development of all sectors of the economy that will aid in job creation, wealth creation and unimpaired/operational security across the board,” Mrs Ahmed further stated.

She urged participants to ensure maximum utilization of discussions and contribute immensely to the deliberations to chart the best ways forward towards actualizing the economic aspirations of Nigeria.