SGF Holds Retreat For Ministers, Presidential Aides, Perm Secs, Top Govt Officials

By Miriam Humbe

The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (OSGF), has organised a Cabinet Retreat for Ministers, Presidential Aides, Permanent Secretaries and top government functionaries.

The three day event is holding at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, between November 1 and 3, 2023.

Let me specially welcome to this important event;

In a welcome address and context setting, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF), Senator George Akume said that the Cabinet Retreat was designed to prepare and sensitize Ministers and other participants on the workings and processes of Government aimed to ensuring Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) deliver on the Presidential Priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda for 2023 – 2027.

The SGF said the retreat would also provide the opportunity to deepen the understanding of participants on best practices in conducting government business.

Senator Akume said: “More specifically, the Retreat will focus on:
ensuring all members are abreast of essential Government processes relating to procurement, budgeting, anti-corruption drive, Federal Executive Council and the role of the Ministers and Permanent Secretaries in managing their Ministries;
discussing critical enablers for the robust management of relationship with key stakeholders of Government;
understanding the delivery framework and tracking mechanism of the Federal Government; and
addressing any tasks and expectations as the President may highlight and direct.”

It would be recalled that the eight Presidential priorities were again unveiled by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the inauguration of the National Economic Council.

These Priorities are: Food Security;
Ending Poverty; Economic Growth and Job Creation; Access to Capital;
Inclusivity: Drawing on all Skills Base;
Security, Fairness and Rule of Law; and
Anti-corruption Stance.

The SGF said that the Priorities had been further unbundled into the following Focus Areas:
Reform the Economy to deliver Sustained Inclusive Growth;
Strengthen National Security for Peace and Prosperity;
Boost Agriculture to Achieve Food Security;
Unlock Energy and Natural Resources for Sustainable Development;
Enhance Infrastructure and Transportation as Enablers of Growth;
Focus on Education, Health and Social Investment as Essential Pillars of Development;
Accelerate Industrialization through Digital Economy, Manufacturing and Innovative Technology; and
Improve Governance for Effective Service Delivery.

The SGF revealed that prior to the retreat, the Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU) in the Cabinet Affairs Office of the OSGF, in collaboration with the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, held extensive bilateral engagements with all the 35 Ministries and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to develop the Ministerial Deliverables that will facilitate the actualisation of the Eight Priority Areas of the Tinubu administration.

He said: “These bilateral engagements were followed by robust technical sessions between the Ministries and the CDCU team with support from our Development/Technical Partners that included the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office-Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (FCDO-PERL), Messrs KPMG Nigeria, Messrs McKinsey and Company Nigeria, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change amongst others.

“The Ministerial Deliverables are strategically crafted to address the Priorities and Focus Areas of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Administration from 2023 to 2027.”

The SGF said that these Ministerial Deliverables were derived from the Renewed Hope Manifesto, Report of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC), the National Development Plan (2021 – 2025), Sectoral Plans including Policies, Programmes & Projects of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

He said the bilateral engagements provided opportunity for the team from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to sensitise the Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and technical teams of Ministries on the broad vision of the President as encapsulated in the 8 Priority Areas.

Present at the event were the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Senate President , God’s will Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Members of the Federal Executive Council; Permanent Secretaries, Top Government Functionaries, our partners and other Special Guests.

The outcome of the Retreat is expected to pave the way for accelerated delivery of Government Policies, Programmes, and Projects of this Administration for the next four years.