FG vows stronger partnership with private sector as NES#30 ends

The Federal Government (FG) has promised to work more closely with the private sector to actualize its eight priority areas.

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, stated this at the closing ceremony of this year’s Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#30) in Abuja yesterday.

The Vice President, who was represented by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said that from the inception of this administration, the government understood and accepted that partnership with the private sector is essential for the country’s economic growth and development.

According to him, “Over the last three days, this summit has facilitated deep and meaningful conversations among public, private, and civil society leaders.

“Together, we have created an environment of mutual respect and dialogue. This understanding has informed our engagement with the summit process, which has generated many policy recommendations for government action.”

The Vice President emphasized that implementing the current administration’s priorities, particularly the eight priority areas enumerated in the Renewed Hope Agenda—the administration’s strategy for repositioning the economy for macroeconomic stability, growth, and development—requires the support of all Nigerians.

He stated that the government is awaiting the recommendations arising from the summit and pledged that they will be implemented.

The Chairman of NESG, Mr. Niyi Yusuf, at a post-summit media conference, listed three key takeaways from the summit: the country is going through difficult times but must stay the course and nurture the seed; there is significant private sector capital on the continent waiting for the government to tap into for development; and that opportunities extend beyond Nigeria, as the country has signed the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

“So instead of a market of 220 million people, now we have a market of over four billion,” he said.

Speaking during one of the sessions on Race to 2030: Catalyzing Sub-National Action towards Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Executive Secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, said Nigeria is still far from meeting the SDGs.

He noted that only 10 percent of the country’s 40,000 primary healthcare centers are functional and called on everyone, particularly the private sector, to support the government.