Ebonyi evolves blueprint on economic growth
From Leo Sobechi, Abakaliki
A BLUEPRINT on the transformation of Ebonyi State, under the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategies (NEEDS) is being evolved.
The 34-man committee raised by the state government to fashion its version of NEEDS yesterday submitted its report.
Briefing reporters on the panel's work, the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Mr. Jonah Egba, explained that the team split into six main subcommittees for thorough job.
Tagged "Ebonyi State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies, (EBSEEDS), the committee searched for unique solutions to the problems of the state.
Egba enumerated the problems to include high mortality rate, high incidence of poverty and unemployment rate, as well as low productivity and prevalence of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), poor revenue base, fiscal discipline, tax evasion, poor attitude to work and heavy debt burden.
He gave the six sub-committees as macro-economic framework, efficiency in public sector, sustainable private sector priority sector strategies, social issues and project financing strategies committees.
Egba revealed that a critical requirement for the successful implementation of SEEDS was the total commitment of all stakeholders.
The commissioners stressed the need to forge new partnership and proper co-ordination across all tiers of government.
"Such partnerships could be between Ebonyi and the donor community, between the state and federal or state and local councils. It could also be between government and the local or foreign private sector", he said.
A key element of the implementation strategy, according to him, is the use of matching grant to achieve desired goals.
Every ministry and council, he said, would be expected to prepare an implementation framework or matrix that would outline their priority, programmes and targets.
Egba said that the six volumes of findings by the sub-committees would be put together as a single document that would guide the implementation of SEEDS in the state.
"That assignment will now be taken up by the Technical Central Working Committee of SEEDS. When that document is produced, it will represent a hand book for the future development of Ebonyi State," he said.
Earlier, the Chairman for the sub-committee on social issues, Professor Egwu U. Egwu, noted that unlike other development strategies, SEEDS seeks to set targets, cost the achievement of goals alongside the strategies.
