- Enugu State plans to increase funding for local government development projects by 60% to boost rural economies and create jobs
- The state government will partner with local governments to fund specific projects in agriculture, agro-allied industrialization, and infrastructure development
The government of Enugu State has announced plans to increase funding for development projects by its local government areas by 60% in order to accelerate grassroots development, particularly in agriculture, agro-allied industrialization, and critical infrastructure.
The state government made the announcement following a meeting of the Enugu State Economic Planning Commission yesterday at Government House in Enugu.
It stated that the move was intended to boost the rural economy and create jobs for the teeming youths.
Speaking to Government House correspondents shortly after the meeting attended by the council chairmen, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, Secretary to the State Government, said the Mbah administration was eager to forge a progressive partnership with the local governments by providing marching funds for selected projects that align with the state government’s economic agenda.
According to the SSG, one of the decision’s key agenda items was to open up rural areas to economic development activities in agriculture and agro-allied industrialisation, as well as to encourage agro-allied processing zones and a land bank of 300,000 hectares for commercial farming.
What we are planning to do is that the local governments are going to go into their communities. All the forest areas that may be locations for criminality, the local governments have agreed that they are going to open the areas. But the key thing is that they are going to enhance the economic activities in the rural area and open it up for economic activities to provide job opportunities for our teeming youths.
It is a partnership where the state government brings 60 per cent of local governments’ 40 per cent. So, whatever they bring for those capital projects, the state government will match it to the tune of 60 per cent. But this is for specific, agreed projects between the state and the local governments, the SSG further disclosed.
Meanwhile, Hon. Sydney Okechukwu Edeh, Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) Enugu State Chapter, who commended the Governor Mbah administration for the counterpart funding, said the partnership with the state government would help in the funding of priority projects that touch people’s lives while also promoting transparency, accountability, and traceability in the management of local government funds by council areas.
I think the governor has decided to come to our rescue, because we at the local government sector have been having a series of problems trying to execute capital projects. But with the state now offering to take up 60 per cent of the cost of approved projects, we will now be encouraged to not only execute so many projects, but also highly qualitative projects to the benefits of the rural communities and economies.
The most important thing is that there is going to be transparency, traceability and accountability in what we are doing. So it is a partnership that must work, and we are good with it.
As ALGON, we have assured the governor of our commitment and cooperation to make sure we move our state forward, he added.