Moves to rejuvenate the economy has seen the Federal Government launching the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2025.
President Muhammadu Buhari gave his approval for the plan to kick off at a brief ceremony which preceded the week’s virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said the NDP 2021-2025 is a successor plan to both Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP 2017-2020) and the Vision 20:2020.
According to the minister, the plan will focus investment on massive infrastructure, ensure economic stability, enhance the investment environment, improve on social indicators and living conditions of Nigerians, among other targets.
She further revealed that the plan is a pointer to the type of Nigeria that all Nigerians desire, adding that it will encourage the use of science, technology and innovation to drive the growth being targeted.
“In order to have the future we all desire, the plan is developed to play a sizable role in the product complexity space internationally and adopts measures to ease constraints that have hindered the economy from attaining its potentials, particularly on the product mapping space.
“The plan provides for the implementation of major infrastructure and other development projects across the six geopolitical zones and opening up of opportunities for the rural areas to ensure balanced development and increased competitiveness.
“The plan builds on the foundation developed in the Vision 20:2020 and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). Lessons from these previous plans guided the development of the NDP 2021-2025.
This government, more than any other, has taken deliberate, active steps to include all economic groups and support them more than has ever been done in order that they achieve their economic objectives, in order that the country’s economy continues to provide for all and we will witness more prosperity. We congratulate and I’m sure all of us in the 36 states and FCT are very happy.
“We have been consulted, some of us who are members of the various committees. It’s a consultative programme and we appreciate both the president and the vice president because under them, particularly the National Economic Council, which is the major economic decision-making body of the federation, has been quite inclusive, it’s not a monologue, states are being given the pride of place”, the governor said.
The Independent