FG projects N25trillion to meet MDGs

NAN
Source: Next
URL: http://234next.com/
August 21, 2010 09:17AM

Minister of National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman, says a total investment outlay of N25 trillion has been projected to meet the Millennium Development Goals from 2010 to 2015. He said this at a validation workshop for MDGs in Abuja on Thursday. The Millennium Development Goals are the eight international development agenda which all the 192 UN member states and at least 23 international agencies have agreed to achieve by 2015, these are to reduce poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental destruction and gender discrimination established at the UN Millennium Development Summit in September 2000.

The minister said government was conscious of the importance of mainstreaming the MDGs into the national economic management framework, particularly in the medium and long-term national development plans.

He explained that the MDG-related sectors received priority attention in the Vision 20:2020 document and the first implementation plan.

"In this regard, a total investment outlay of $170 billion has been projected as needed to fully meet the MDGs during 2010-2015," he said.

He went on to explain that clear strategies had been laid out to mobilise resources and scale up investments from both the public and private sectors to meet the financial cost.

"We also embark on MDG-friendly development plans and strategies as well as the commitment of increasing resources toward the execution of MDGs in the country.

"Given the attention that the MDGs have attracted both nationally and internationally, it becomes necessary to take stock of the progress made periodically with a view to refocusing measures toward accelerating the pace of such progress.

"It is in this context that Nigeria has previously produced four reports for 2004, 2005, 2006, and a 2008 mid-point assessment report on the MDGs," Usman said.