THOUGHTS ON NIGERIA DEVELOPMENT PLAN By Dr HW Bernhardt(PhD Eng, PrEng).....

12 Point Agenda Of Nigeria Trade Mission and Business Delegation The president of Trade Nigeria and Globe Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Hon. Nwabueze Buchi George has revealed that his organizations have 12 strategic areas of the economy they are focusing in their Nigeria Trade Mission and Business Delegation to Europe, Asia and America.

 

Hon. Buchi George said that it is important to have a strategic focus that will create a visible impact in the economy rather than chase everything that is available, while addressing newsmen in Abuja Nigeria,

 

The United Nations Ambassador and International business executive said as a country, Nigeria needs to fix those 12 key areas and one thing that can achieve that easily is foreign investments and partnerships.

 

“We put the energy and power sector first because it drives the other sectors. Nigeria needs a great deal of foreign technological investment in the energy and power sector to fix it and if we get it right, we’ll be on the path of getting the other sectors right”, he said.

 

The sectors are listed as follows:

Energy And Power Sector

Education And Technology Sector

Mining, Agro-Commerce And Agriculture

Transportation And Aviation Sector

Housing And Real Estate Sector

Medical And Healthcare Sector

Telecommunication Sector

Construction And Infrastructural Sector

Oil And Gas Sector

Industrialization, Production And Manufacturing  Sector

Banking And Finance Sector

Trade And Commerce Sector

 

On education, Hon. Nwabueze Buchi George said the system is due for serious review so that Nigeria can be able to catch up with other nations.

 

He said that it is a pity that despite how serious the education system in Nigeria is, it is still not taken seriously outside the shores of the country.

 

“If we revamp our educational system; infuse technology into it just like other nations, it will be one way for Nigeria to truly become self-reliant.”

 

“When we have good schools at all levels, it means we will have the best people in all professions who can compete favorably with their counterparts in other parts of the world, and at that point, we can say that we are really part of the Nations shaping the world” Hon. Buchi George said.

 

He also revealed that there are perfected plans to kicked all paused Nigeria Trade Mission and Business Delegation, adding that as soon as the Covid-19 influence is taken care of, everything will kick off again.

 

“Our plans are only on hold but not cancelled. We have events for Asia, Europe, Canada, Australia and we’re even looking into some African countries to see what we can mutually offer each other”

 

“these events will take Nigeria to the world and for those who are unsure of the opportunities in the country, we take it them and encourage them to invest here for our mutual benefits”, he concluded.

 

Some thoughts on the 12 point AGENDA –by Dr HW Bernhardt–28 August 2020

 

The items on the 12 point Agenda are a logical list of integrated sectors that will make a massive contribution to the economic development of an emerging country like Nigeria. Having spent 30 years of my working life in the Education sector (both senior school [10 years], as well as University level[20 years]), the emphasis on Education makes very good sense.

 

At the risk of being perceived as stating the obvious, I would nevertheless like to express some additional thoughts that those having the responsibility to implement this 12 point Development Agenda may find useful.I am recording these thoughts because wein South Africa have witnessed the dismal failures by our government leaders in dealing with emergencies brought about by the COVD-19 pandemic. Examples of the failures include massive corruption in distributing food, funds and personal protective equipment (PPE) to those exposed to the reality of becoming infected by the virus, or whose livelihood has been taken away as a result of this global emergency.

 

When one is thinking of major projects (such as the 12 point development plan of a country), one would logically ask 3 questions in the following order:

1.WHY?

2.WHAT?

3.HOW?

 

The proposed 12 point Agenda addresses the question:WHAT?

The suggested reason for the plan is given in the statement “(Nigeria) can compete favorably with their counterparts in other parts of the world”does not tell the full story.

Surely the WHY of this plan is that ALL people in Nigeria(whatever their age, skills level, gender and educational background) may have the opportunity to live a fulfilling life having the means to meet all their needs in the communities in which they live.In other words, the focus of the WHY must be ALL THE PEOPLE IN NIGERIA.Stated more explicitly, ANY development plan must have as its priority
4the empowering of ALL people in the country to do work that will guarantee an earning capacity to meet their own material needs.

 

So, to achieve this, EDUCATION (in my opinion) should be NUMBER ONE. Yes,power and the energy sector are needed for this, but the empowering of people MUST be THE PRIORITY.  And it is here where the question of HOW is very relevant. A meaningful education will take a person from where he is to where he/she needs to get to in order to meet and conquer new challenges. So education must be relevant and take into account current skills levels, and not only focus on a small sector (e.g. the young people) of society.A focus on this area of development involves MUCH MORE than building more schools and Universities, and training more teachers. One needs to take into account that formal education is VERY COSTLY. To make a realistic impact, the organizers need to make use of modern technology such as online learning, and USE EXISTING GLOBAL EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE, such as online courses that can be utilized. Online learning is far cheaper than formal learning in universities. Of course, for proper social development, children have to interact other children, and some formal schooling for children is necessary, but greater use of online tools will not only reduce the cost of learning, but also make better use of the home environment where the important skills of respectful family life are learnt. To make this goal a reality, a really clever comprehensive strategy and methodology (dealing with the HOW) needs to be worked out.

Moving to the other Agenda points: In all big projects, as history attests, the HOW, is as important, if not MORE important than the WHAT.Thus, concomitant with a clear definition of the measures to achieve certain objectives, must be the NON-NEGOTIABLE PRINCIPLES directing the envisaged interventions.In other words,one wants to ensure that ALL investment is properly utilized and NOTHING is wasted.These principles would include, inter alia, the following:

1.Continuous auditing of proper utilization of funds and resources

2.Commitment to a predetermined code of Accountability

3.Training of Nigerian people 

4.External quality and financial control

5.Regular reporting on progress and deliverables

6.Use of Nigerian personnel, as far as possible, to ensure that there is transfer of Know-How(more than transfer of technology).

7.Continuous follow-up after completion of project.

8.Reporting back to the people of Nigeria, so new job opportunities can become known.

Another aspect that needs to feature high on the agenda of awarding of tenders is a commitment to meeting the United Nations SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (https://sdgs.un.org/goals). Everycountry is part of the global community, and we all have a responsibility to play our part in reversing the threat of CLIMATE CHANGE.

My best wishes for the success of this ambitious programme!

 

Dr HW Bernhardt