The federal government has set up an inaugural steering committee meeting of the 40 deliverables’ mandate of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed in her address at the meeting, said that the meeting was important to reset the tone to accounting officers and their implementation officers on the 40 deliverables and its imperatives for the ministry and the overall economy.
According to her, all the 40 deliverables were assigned to accounting officers and implementation teams to perform the functions of oversight and execution respectively. Consequently, the ministry then developed key performance indicators (KPIs), baselines and targets to measure progress and ensure full implementation of the 40 deliverables in a timely manner.
“Key activities to ensure efficient implementation and execution of the deliverables have also been identified.”
Ahmed stated that the meeting was meant to inaugurate a new governance structure and others.
“Today, we are inaugurating a new governance structure and a holistic programme management framework, which will assist in effectively assessing, tracking and reporting progress on all the deliverables. This new governance structure and management framework will be supported by a team of external consultants to provide advisory support on the implementation of the mandate.”
On mapping the deliverables, she said that a mapping of the deliverables to the 11 government priority areas shows that the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning contributes mostly to five key thematic areas comprising: Stabilisation of the macroeconomic environment; improvement of transport and other infrastructure development; enhancement of social inclusion and reduction of poverty; fighting corruption and improving governance; as well as provision of mass housing.
“Consequently, our relentless pursuit of these deliverables will help in mobilising domestic resources, attaining fiscal buffers, stimulating macroeconomic stability, improving national productivity, promoting business resilience, and attracting the needed foreign direct investments that will create jobs and enhance the standard of living of all Nigerians.”
The minister also said that overall, the outcomes of the meeting would enable all participants and stakeholders to review the performance of the deliverables, evaluate the challenges and lessons learned, as well as brainstorm on the way forward and capture recommendations for enhancing future performance.
Giving a brief background on the 40 deliverables, Mrs. Ahmed said that in 2019, the Presidential Retreat, Policies, Programme and Projects Audit Committee (PPPAC), which was instituted by the Presidency, led to the formulation of a programme that encapsulated the strategic plans for this administration’s ‘Next Level Agenda.’
“The PPPAC identified 11 broad government priority areas covering the macro economy, agriculture and food security, mass housing, poverty alleviation and social inclusion, national security, energy, transportation, health and education. These priorities were expected to guide policy direction over the next four years (2019 – 2023),” she stated.
The priority areas, in the words of the Minister, “led to the identification of the 17 ministerial deliverables, which were mapped to the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning for execution over the four-year period. The remaining 23 deliverables are mandates assigned to the ministry.”
Concerning progress on execution, she said: “However, progress towards execution has been hampered by vulnerability to macro and fiscal conditions, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.”