NATIONAL NEWS

FG DETERMINED TO IMPLEMENT SOUND ECONOMIC POLICIES — Jonathan

_{Report JULIANA KATUNG_______________________________________}

VICE-President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged the presence administration’s commitment of implementing sound economic policies that will accelerate the nation’s march towards the attainment of the Vision 2020 and improve the living condition of all Nigerians.

A statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication the Vice-President, Mitaire Ikpen said he stated this yesterday while declaring open a one-day inter-ministerial retreat on the harmonization of the NEEDS-2 and the present administration’s seven-point agenda, aimed at producing a medium term national development plan for 2008-2011.

He said President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administration has set out to consolidate on the gains achieved in the past few years and to launch Nigeria on the path of sustainable development, that will ultimately ensure the attainment of the nation’s Vision 2020 aspiration.

“Let me reiterate that this administration is committed to the implementation of sound economic policies, good governance and winning the war against corruption. What we need is an action plan for facilitating development of infrastructure such as transportation, energy, ICT, water and sanitation, an action plan that will deepen our commitment in the health sector, educational sector, other social services, security and law and order,” Jonathan stated.

According to him, the efforts of the present administration are geared towards wealth creation, employment generation and sustainable poverty reduction that are production driven, adding that producing a realistic 2008-2011 plan is imperative for participants at the retreat and that the plan must create ample room for productivity enhancement and value addition that are critical for economic growth and development.

He stressed that a double digit GDP growth rate is mandatory if Nigeria is to attain her Vision 2020 mark and therefore charge all ministries, departments and agencies of government to ensure that sectoral growth levels are doubled within the plan period of 2008-2011.

Earlier, in his speech, Minister for National Planning, Malam Sanusi Daggash, said the need to harmonise the draft NEEDS-2 with the seven-point agenda was borne out of the present administration’s desire to ensure its campaign promises are backed  up with specific strategies for actualization.

He noted that the output of the harmonization process would form the medium term development plan that would guide the development operations of the present administration during the target period.

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