NDDC engages region’s stakeholders on 2024 budget

Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has engaged critical stakeholders of the region to fashion out an implementable budget for the agency in 2024.

At a two-day conference organised by the agency with the theme, ‘Partners for Sustainable Development Forum: NDDC 2024 Budget Conference,’ which held at the Ibom Icon and Golf Resorts, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, representatives of governments of the nine Niger Delta states, international oil companies (IOCs), traditional rulers, youth groups, civil society organisations, among others, were in attendance.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said the forum was aimed at providing a veritable platform for achieving an effective budgeting system in line with the ‘’Renewed Hope’’ project of the Federal Government.

Ogbuku said: “This conference is very vital. For one, it helps to revive the platform of partners for sustainable development.  This was created as part of the regional master plan implementation guideline to bring all service providers and project implementers to the same table to fashion a common pathway based on shared vision for the development of the region.

“It also affords all of us the incentive and opportunity to pool our resources together, initiate projects and programmes within the obligatory goal of building a better region and empowering our people.

“By so doing, we would, arising from the conference, galvanise our energies for a common purpose, eliminate duplications and institutional suspicions in the development process. It would also help to reduce incidence of working at cross purposes, as well as reduce wastage of scarce resources allocated for regional developmental initiatives by all stakeholders.”

In his keynote address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, urged the NDDC to evolve budgets that will meet development needs of the states and communities in the region.

Represented by the Director of planning and Statistics, Alfred Abbah, Belgore commended the current management of the Commission for the stakeholders’ forum initiative.

“The way forward is to embrace robust and innovative pathways, anchored on transparency and stakeholder participation towards right-budgeting, thus maximising the available resources to address the most critical needs of the people.”