Kwara Launches 10- Year Sustainable Devt Plan of N4.7trn

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The Kwara State Government has launched a 10-year sustainable development plan (SDP) that would gulp a total sum of N4.7 trillion between 2021 and 2030.

The government however said that the move is to place the state on the path of inclusive and sustainable growth.

Speaking at the launch of the programme in Ilorin, the Kwara State Governor, Mr. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, stated that “the SDP envisions the bright future that the administration pursues, and is anchored on four pillars of governance and institutional reforms, economic development, social development, and infrastructural development.”

AbdulRazaq said the SDP comprises in clear terms “our plans for education, healthcare, security architecture, transport system, rural-urban development, waste management, youth engagements and women empowerment, safety nets, climate change and other environmental issues.”

He said: “In January this year, we unveiled a five-year agricultural transformation plan which revolves around our comparative advantage as a state with vast arable land.

“That agribusiness plan was the first of its kind in our state in many years. However, it was just a standalone, one-sector-specific plan.

“Today, we are launching a 10-year sustainable development plan (SDP: 2021-2030) upon which hangs everything we need to do to place Kwara on the path of inclusive and sustainable growth.”

He added: “Kwara State had its first development plan in 1970 and it ran for five years. The second development plan ran between 1975 and 1980. This Sustainable Development Plan is the third of such comprehensive Kwara-specific blueprint which plans for the future of the state.

“The SDP draws from extensive bottom-up consultations with stakeholders. It is anchored on four core pillars: governance and institutional reforms; economic development; social development; and infrastructural development.

“The plan is estimated to gulp N4.7 trillion between now and 2030 — a long-term investment that is necessary for sustainable growth. The funding will come from public and private sector sources.

“The cross-cutting linkages of the sectors remain an important feature of the plan beginning with the robust sector diagnostic report and the practice-based results monitoring framework.

“The plan has been drawn with full involvement of the bureaucracy and various stakeholders. It also aligns with various high-level policy parameters such as Nigeria’s Sustainability Plan, the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”

He noted that “no plan is cast in iron. The SDP, therefore, envisages periodic reviews to accommodate realities unforeseen at the time of its formulation. It has been designed to accommodate our annual strategic plans and medium term sector strategies (MTSS).

“Our choice of a 10-year horizon is intentional. Despite its attention to local realities, it serves to benchmark and converge with the UN-SDGs as far as possible, given the 2030 close-out year for both policy instruments.

“I commend all the stakeholders, including our traditional institutions, public and private sector players, and our technical partners who worked so hard to make this a huge success. The essence of making it bottom-up and deliberately participatory is so that everyone can own it for optimal success and for the good of Kwara State.”

The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clem Ikanade Agba, who was the chief launcher of the document, said the Kwara plan aligns with the national strategy to tackle various developmental challenges and commended the state government for being one of the few states to have come up with such a robust roadmap.

Agba said the five-year national development plan (2021-2025) would require about N350 trillion to execute.

He said: “I am pleased to note that Kwara State has indeed become one of the first states to do this as the plan being launched today is sufficiently aligned with the National Development Plan, 2021-2025 and indeed Nigeria Agenda 2050.

“The Kwara State Sustainable Development Plan, just like the National Development Plan, focuses on developing critical infrastructure, strengthening institutions of governance, developing human capital, addressing security challenges and leveraging on the power of the private sector as pivot of development.

“In addition, the pillars of the Kwara State Sustainable Development Plan have been mapped with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 2030, the African Union Agenda, 2063 and the ECOWAS Vision 2050, with targets and strategies for achieving them.

“This is the way to go. I therefore enjoin other states to emulate this laudable initiative. We all have crucial roles to play in ensuring that the key objectives of the Plan are achieved. The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning stands ready to provide the much-needed technical support in this regard.

“I believe that the Kwara State Development Agenda is robust enough to support and encourage indigenous production, empower demand for goods and services and facilitate employment for the youths of the state.

“I, therefore, urge the government and people of Kwara State and indeed all Nigerians, to use the new development agenda in refocusing and repositioning of Kwara State as the real ‘Jewel in the Savannah.”

The Minister urged the state government to be strict with the implementation phase of the plan.

Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Mrs. Claire Hensaw, said the plan is a vital tool for decision making and resources allocation.

While emphasising that element of people is one of the five pillars of the SDGs, Hensaw declared that the UNDP is committed to supporting innovative leadership that is focused on developing its human capital to strengthen social change.