By Nana Musa
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu, has called for improved synergy with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The minister said this when he received a team from UNDP at his office in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said: “The three areas UNDP are currently working on are important, and they are inclusive growth, good governance/peace building and climate change.”
Bagudu said that President Bola Tinubu has been passionate about inclusive growth which was part of the National Development Plan 2021-2025 and agenda 2050.
He said that peace building in the North East and North West would help promote peace and the climate change challenge needed urgent attention.
The minister said that the ministry had all the mandate to work with them and was aware that there were challenges and the need to demonstrate more commitment to work with speed and get good results.
Bagudu said: “We are always proud that our country has been a prominent member that supportedthe evolution and development of the United Nations system right from creation.”
He commended UNDP for its continuous support to the country and urged them to do more.
The UNDP Representative to Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Yahya said that the ministry recently approved the three important areas they were currently working on.
“The inclusive growth is how to reduce inequality, reduce poverty rate and how to support the country’s agenda, having in mind that Nigeria is the driving seat of Africa.
“On good governance and peace building, we supported the country during the last general election through INEC.
“We also support governance in state level. The peace building part is our biggest challenge because it’s new, but we have huge stabilisation programmes in the North-East and North-West.
“The Climate Change, rain and flood which many African are suffering from the impacts, we are supporting the ministry of environment with their programmes and supporting the states which had suffered significantly from flood,” Yahya said.
He said that this was the first time the country had applied for the green climate fund.
Yahya said: “UNDP would continue to support the country in ways we can and we are commending the Federal Government.”
