The Federal Government, in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has launched Imagine Nigeria report under a larger development framework that explores alternative pathways to develop the most populous black nation.
The initiative is a bold and unfettered look into Nigeria’s future in the coming decades rather than a national plan comprising specified projects.
Present at the event are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who represented the President, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba and Resident Representative, UNDP Nigeria, Mohamed Yahya.
Others include Senator Udoma Udo Udoma and Dr. Shamsudeen Usman.
According to Osinbajo, the project provides the licence to imagine a Nigeria freed of its past and current challenges and able to engage the future with the best possible tools in human and material capital. He added that the “ultimate objective is to answer the question of what it would take to transform Nigeria.”
It is a process of reflection and discussion by all Nigerians, especially young ones on what the future of our country should look like.”
The Vice President continued: “Imagine Nigeria proposes that Nigerians can build a more inclusive and resilient nation, overcoming prevailing challenges facing it, such as the unprecedented impact of COVID-19, diminishing oil revenue, climate change, rising cost of living, inequalities, poverty and levels of insecurity, among others.”
The report noted that Nigeria remains a major powerhouse in Africa with numerous unexplored prospects that citizens could harness for national transformation.
In his remarks the UNDP official said Nigeria’s re-imagination remains critical not only for the country but also for the African continent and the world at large.
“Imagine Nigeria is about creating a shift for a new African agenda and development narrative. It calls on Nigeria to facilitate new forms of collaboration for the country and Africa so that the continent can take its well-deserved seat in the global arena while also providing a basis for the country’s transformation.
“A key recommendation from the series of conversations so far is the urgent need for structural transformation, economic diversification and wealth creation, catalysed by the green economy. It is not just about going green, it is about global leadership and how Nigeria can help lead the world in a new direction. It is about building a new economy and forging new realities in which Nigeria is a global leader and the destination for investors working to solve African and global challenges,” he added.