The Ministry of Budget and National Planning is set to organise focused labs, following its auncil.

The setting up of these labs, according to a statement issued on Friday by Akpandem James, Special Adviser on Media to the Minister, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, involves the bringing together of relevant stakeholders in the public and private sectors for weeks of intensive working sessions to brainstorm on practical steps to overcome identified challenges in the implementation of the government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

The labs will serve as an effective tool for ensuring robust engagement between the public and private sectors to resolve challenges within specified sector. It is a fall-out of the Federal Government Cabinet Retreat on ERGP Implementation held in Abuja on the 10th of August this year with the theme ‘Getting Implementation Right’.

A major outcome of the retreat was the need for Nigeria to conduct focused labs, drawing from the Malaysian model, which will drive quick delivery of the major outcomes of the ERGP. The initial labs will be in agriculture and transportation, in power and gas, and in manufacturing and processing. Thereafter, similar labs will be conducted in other areas, such as entertainment and tourism, health and education amongst others.

Akpandem also stated that the planned labs will be directed by relevant Ministers and senior government officials, with the participation of captains of industry and potential investors, involving Nigerians and major international companies. Young and aspiring entrepreneurs will also be invited to participate. Already the Federal Government has set up an ERGP implementation team located in the Ministry of Budget and National Planning who will coordinate the labs. These staff will be supported by some consultants from Malaysia who will facilitate the first three pilot labs after which their services will no longer be required.

The labs, which will run for about three months in three separate phases (pre-laboratory, laboratory and post laboratory), will involve about 100 persons each drawn from both the public and private sectors. The aim is to get private sector involvement in achieving the objectives of the plan, by mobilising private sector financing and resources.

The key objectives of the labs, the Ministry emphasised, are to identify all relevant key stakeholders from the public and private sectors that are crucial in the delivery and implementation of the various initiatives of the ERGP so as to create ownership; Review and re-evaluate the ERGP and sectoral plans against set targets and progress; Identify gaps in the current eco-system and the key success factors;

Deliver detailed three-feet implementation programme line by line and identify entry point projects; as well as Identify key performance indicators, activities, budgets, timelines, milestones and responsible action parties.

Others are breaking down silos and encouraging key players in MDAs to work together in an intensive co-creation manner; and mobilising private sector investment to finance specific capital projects.

The Ministry further pledged to provide regular updates on progress on the labs as preparatory work for the labs has advanced.

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