The Regional Development Retreat for Development Commissions, ended in Benin City Edo State with a resolved for Commissions to work in synergy with all stakeholders to bridge development gaps across their regions and the nation at large.
The retreat which was organised by the Federal Ministry of Regional Development and attended by the Chairman of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), Mr. Cosmas Akighir; the Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil; and other Governing Board members, the Minister of Regional Development, had deliberations focused on strategic areas considered critical to enhancing the performance of the Regional Development Commissions in line with their mandates.
In his remarks, the Minister of Regional Development, Mr. Abubakar Momoh, noted that, given the quality of expert contributions at the retreat, it was imperative for all Commissions to strictly adhere to the provisions of their establishment Acts.
Momoh said that steps would be taken to review the establishment Acts of the Commissions in order to address identified gaps and strengthen institutional performance.
The minister further said that a performance bond would soon be signed by the leadership of the various Commissions to ensure effective service delivery and accountability.
In her presentation, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Mary Ogbe, unveiled the draft National Policy on Regional Development, which aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Ogbe noted that the policy would continue to undergo stakeholder review before its final presentation to the Federal Executive Council for approval.
Key papers presented at the retreat included; “Leveraging International Development Partners for Funding” by the UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Elsie Attafuah; “Accountability and Compliance with Financial Regulations in the Public Service and Treasury Single Account (TSA)” by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Shamsudeen Ogunjimi; as well as experience-sharing sessions by the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, and his NEDC counterpart, Dr. Mohammed Goni Alkali.
The communiqué of the retreat, presented by the Director of Planning and Research, Mr. Victor Ewache, outlined additional resolutions and key action points agreed upon by participants.
