Business
FG Begins NEEDS Implementation Assessment In Rivers
In a bid to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
targets in 2015, the Federal Government, says it has since deployed enumerators
to Rivers State to assess how far they
have gone in actualising the set goals of National Economic Empowerment
Development Strategy (NEEDS).
The Special Assistant to the Governor on MDGs, Mr Desire Bob
Manuel gave this hint last week while briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt.
Bob Manuel said the enumerators were saddled with the task
of assessing the progress of the National Empowerment Economic Development
Strategy (NEEDS) in the state.
The exercise commenced on Tuesday October 9, 2012, and is
expected to last for three days in all the 23 local governments of the State.
According to Bob-Manuel, the enumerators will also map out
the scale of practical interventions required to meet the MDGs, adding that,
there will be special attention to infrastructure, human resources and
financial requirements.
It was learnt that, the assessment will form the basis for
developing the nation’s specific strategies to meet the MDGs in 2015.
The governor’s aide also noted that, the NEEDS assessment
tools were fashioned to produce reasonable estimates of the expected take off
grant for the key sectors to hit the target in the next three years.
Such sectors, he said included Agriculture, Education,
Health, Water and Sanitation, saying that, the assessment would determine any
potential funding gap.
According to him, it will map out strategies to bridge such
gaps and as well select interventions that would enhance the efficiency and
effectiveness of services delivery system.
The Tide futher gathered that the Federal Government
sometime in May this year, deployed over 100 enumerators to the state on a
baseline facility inventory exercise targeted at stating the afore mentioned
sectors where the state needs serious interventions.
Meanwhile, the governor’s aide has appealed to all local
government chairmen to embrace the exercise and the need to provide a safe
landing ground for them (enumerators).
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.