By SINL Reporter
A German foundation, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), begins a 3-day capacity building on good governance for special advisers and technical assistants of ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.
Speaking at the occasion, the Ambassador of Germany to Nigeria, Mrs Birgitt Ory, said Africa is a continent of great opportunities and challenges.
“The question is, what needs to be done to enhance opportunities and positive developments in order to meet the challenges?
“Good governance features prominently in that endeavor,” she said.
The ambassador, who was represented by Mr Uche Nwosu, Programme Manager of KAS, highlighted three elements of good governance which she described as “institutions, diversity and ownership.”
“First, institutions should be effective, reliable and transparent. This is important for political accountability but also for economic development.
“If institutions are strong and reliable, businesses will be more likely to invest. If there is one thing that private sector investors do not like, it is uncertainty.
“Uncertainty about investment conditions, the legal system or political stability will deter investment,” she said.
Ory pointed out that in contrast, strong and reliable institutions would contribute to stability, reliable framework conditions and enable business.
“The second point is diversity. Strong institutions don’t only need to be efficient; they also need to be inclusive.
“The link between good governance and diversity is a very important one in our time.
“In the 21st century, diversity is a fact of life. In the age of globalisation and information technology, geographical, cultural and linguistic borders that used to separate people have become less relevant.
“Our task as 21st century citizens is to embrace diversity and to turn it into a source of energy for progress.
“Diversity is – and should be – a source of strength, not a source of division. This is our experience in the European Union. And this is a very important aspect of good governance in our modern age,” she said.
The envoy added that “at the end of the day, good governance needs ownership. It cannot be ‘imported.’
“Good governance needs to come from within.”
The ambassador, who encouraged the aides to always strive for good governance, said such effort would help to enhance opportunities and contribute to meet current challenges.
The Resident Representative of KAS in Nigeria, Dr. Vladimir Kreck, said good governance translates every where in the world into respect for the rule of law, transparency, accountability, efficiency and equity.
“Good governance also translates, when internalised and applied by government actors, into societal cohesion and economic development for the Good of the people.
Kreck also mentioned other important preconditions of good governance to include a process of strategic long-term planning, the introduction of control mechanisims, the assessment of development and the re-assessment of achieved results.
“We have included elements of all that into the design of this seminar,” he said.
According to him, when the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning approached us first in March this year with the proposal to conduct in collaboration capacity building seminars on Good Governance for Special Advisors and Technical Assistance of the ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I saw immediately a great opportunity to extend the fulfillment of our mandate in Nigeria to the executive arm of government.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, assured that the Federal Government is set to design implementation of policies and plans aimed at ensuring an inclusive, sustainable and resilient economy, in line with government’s priorities.
Ahmed, who stated this through virtual presentation, said the Federal Civil Service is at the heart of Nigeria’s governance process, and is integral to the development, institutionalisation and effective implementation of policies and plans developed under any administration.
She said advisers and assistants in the Federal Government played an important supportive role to the ministers and to the civil service in the design and implementation of policies and plans aimed at ensuring an inclusive, sustainable and resilient economy, in line with government’s priorities.
“This is important, in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the drop in crude oil prices and work to implement the recently approved Economic Sustainability Plan in the 2021-2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper” she stated.
The minister added that it would also help to develop the next generation of medium and long-term national plans and the related frameworks for implementation.
