Ngozi Okonjo -Iweala , Finance Minister

A new economic blueprint to drive President Goodluck Jonathan’s avowed transformation agenda is to be unfolded this week by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

THISDAY learnt that the minister was meant to unveil the blueprint last Thursday during her maiden press conference but had to call it off a few hours to the event to review one or two issues in the document with the presidency before it is made public.

Articulating the blueprint, which is considered a radical approach to putting the economy on a sound footing, was one of the activities that had engaged the minister’s attention prior to her inauguration last Wednesday by Jonathan.

Although details of the blueprint remain under wraps, sources said Jonathan had given a hint of what is incorporated in the document during last Friday’s inauguration of the 24-member Economic Management Team.

He had said on the occasion that the team, which has Okonjo-Iweala as the coordinating minister for the economy, has the task of giving Nigeria “greater fiscal discipline, a continuously improved framework to support local and international investors, and effective macroeconomic and monetary policies.”

The president’s inauguration of the Committee on the Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals and Agencies is also an indication that the blueprint is one that has taken into consideration, reports and recommendations of various committees and bodies on how to cut down the unwieldy recurrent expenditure, which Okonjo-Iweala has consistently bemoaned.
The president at last Friday’s inauguration had tasked the economic management team to “fast-track the implementation of the medium term plan in line with our commitment to the realisation of the Vision 2020 aspirations.

“Our people want to see improvements not only in terms of reduced inflation, higher economic growth and economic diversification but also in job creation, better school enrolment, improved access to health care and a more sustainable environment.
“They want regular and sustainable electricity supply, higher purchasing power, social infrastructure, and in every sense, this is all about the economy.”
Membership of the body includes Jonathan as chairman; Vice President Namadi Sambo, as vice chairman;   Okonjo-Iweala and two governors – Peter Obi of Anambra State (Honorary Presidential Adviser on Finance) and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa (Honorary Presidential Adviser on Agriculture).

The Ministers of National Planning, Trade and Investment, Power, Petroleum Resources, Agriculture, Works, Education, Health, State for Finance and Health are also members of the team.

Others are the Central Bank of Nigeria governor; the President’s Chief Economic Adviser, Special Adviser on Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Directors Generals of the Budget, Debt Management Office, Bureau for Public Enterprises, Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission as well as the President of the Nigerian Economic Society (who is Honorary Adviser on Economy) and Mr. Atedo Peterside

Four new members who were added last Friday include cement entrepreneur Aliko Dangote; managing director of Access Bank Plc, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru and president of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Kola Jamodu.

-Tribune

Posted by admin on Aug 20 2011. Filed under Latest Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry