Indication has shown that the socio-economic status of Ogun State residents will be improved, as the state government is set to partner with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This disclosure came to the fore in Abeokuta during a stakeholders’ meeting with heads of agencies and parastatals and the UNDP team in Nigeria.
Speaking at the meeting, Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo said the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led government has a forward-looking vision with a focus on infrastructure, highlighting the significance of data and knowledge acquisition for informed decision-making and policy formulation.
Okubadejo, who stressed the importance of partnerships, acknowledged the pivotal role of youths in propelling development and growth, emphasing the state’s intent to leverage on UNDP’s support in all spheres of human endeavours.
He affirmed the state’s preparedness to collaborate with UNDP, citing shared interests such as creating an enabling environment for business, fostering Public-Private Partnerships for state development, and ensuring the prosperity of the people.
“We as a state are ready to partner with UNDP, as we are aware that this body is well positioned to support sub-nationals such as Ogun state and coincidentally, quite a lot of the areas discussed are the specific interest focused in our vision such as creating an enabling environment for business, the Public Private Partnership for the development of the State and the prosperity of the people of the State”, Okubadejo stated.
In his remarks, Head of UNDP, Lagos Office, Mr. William Tsuma, who lauded Ogun State for the strong synergy with organisations, outlined UNDP’s focus on creating an integrated team for priority areas, which includes, macro-economic planning, inclusive growth, financing frameworks, and support in climate and energy sustainability.
He emphasised the UNDP’s commitment to supporting the Nigerian government, as well as sub–nationals, in tackling development challenges, adding that the organisation aims to achieve this by fortifying and establishing institutions that champion inclusive sustainable development and democratic governance.
He noted that the meeting was informed by the need for African nations to generate a smart-niche-based development plan, which is agile and responsive to risk, as well as contingencies for unplanned events.
“It is so exciting to note that Ogun State’s agenda on employment generation, education, climate, and agriculture is closely aligned with UNDP’s goals”, Tsuma stated.
