NDDC To Focus on Projects With Highest Priority To Beneficiaries

The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC have outlined a number of new operational guidelines, it intends to adopt to achieve its mandate in the years ahead.

Part of the first steps is to  institutionalise a framework for partnership with state governments and other stakeholders for joint need assessment.

The framework, will see the Ministry and its development partners executing only projects with highest priority to the people, while increasing monitoring and surveillance mechamism.

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Umana while addressing a press conference to declare the summit closed on Friday, said the goal was to sensitize the top management of the Ministry and the NDDC on the policy thrust of government, to reposition the NDDC through an effective collaboration with the MNDA.

He stressed that it was also intended to engender increased synergy for improved service delivery in order to fast-track the development of the region.

At the end of the two-day retreat, stakeholders first acknowledged the slow pace of development in the region despite huge investments by various tiers of government, development partners, IOCs and civil society organizations.

Part of the resolutions adopted was that there was a need for staff of the Commission to rededicate to and comply with the ideals of transparency, accountability, innovation and corporate governance for improved service delivery; while instituting a framework for partnership with States and other Stakeholders for joint need assessment, prioritization and project monitoring.

In their submission, this will speed up infrastructural development in the Niger Delta Region and avoid overlaps /duplication of efforts.

The retreat also harped on the need to hamonize all its development plans, particularly the Niger Delta Action Plan, Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan (NDRDMP), IOCs Plans and secure the concurrence of States and other Development Partners for effective implementation.

Beyond this, they vowed to adopt collaborative efforts in its oversight function, especially of the MNDA in its relationship with the NDDC.

The forum also agreed on further engagements to re-orient critical stakeholders in the region on peace building initiatives as a means of consolidating the stability of the region.

“We will focus on mega infrastructure projects through the adoption of Public Private Partnership (PPP) as a major funding option to mobilize private sector resources and multilateral agencies which would create a robust economy that guarantees jobs and wealth creation.

“We will also enthrone and comply strictly with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, Public Service Rules and Procedures as well as Financial Regulations in the operations of the Agency and the Ministry,”Umana added.