Press Release
FG Sets Up Task Force on Aid and Development Effectiveness

FG Sets Up Task Force on Aid and Development Effectiveness

ABUJA, NIGERIA. July 7, 2021… The Federal Government has set up a Multistakeholder task force on Aid and Development Effectiveness to be headed by two co-chairs, Mrs. Elizabeth Akpana Egharevba, Director, International Cooperation representing the Federal Government and Rev David Ugolor, Executive Director, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) who is co-chair representing Non-State Actors.

The Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba while setting up the task force at a meeting with key stakeholders in his office on Tuesday said “Nigeria has implemented the aid and development effectiveness agenda since 2003 but lost momentum in 2009 when Government’s leadership and ownership in the alignment to national development agenda, harmonization and coordination of development partners’ activities lagged behind. As a result, previously made progress have not only stagnated but also regressed.”

Prince Agba who noted that Nigeria’s external resources comprise a small portion of government revenues, disclosed that Net Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) has averaged less than 11% of gross national income (GNI) of which a considerable sum is debt relief for some time now.

He said that Nigeria is among the top 10 recipient of humanitarian assistance receiving 3% of the global share in the period 2016 – 2018. At the same time the country received US$ 4 billion of ODA towards fragile situations placing it among the top 30 countries in the world receiving such assistance.

He then charged the Task Force to use the Busan Principles as a framework for its operations. He listed the Busan principles to include: Democratic Ownership of development cooperation, Results Focus, Inclusive Partnerships as well as Transparency and Accountability.

The Minister gave the Terms of Reference of  the task force to include: “Identify and document specific national, local or international laws and regulations that shape and/or have been shaped by development cooperation in Nigeria, establish and document existing overall context in which various political actors, groups or coalitions including business lobby groups, donor governments, social movements and national politicians, interact with the often tightly contested terrain of national or local politics, shaping and/or being shaped by development cooperation and generate report of all current donors’ commitment to Africa/Sub-Saharan Africa and to Nigeria by OECD-DAC and Non-OECD countries.

Others include: Develop and maintain an online database of all current/subsisting development assistance to Nigeria from January 2020 to date. This would include all Grants, Technical Assistance, Humanitarian Assistance, Loans to Nigeria, indicating what part(s) of Nigeria and sectors are such Aid targeted; to ascertain and prepare annual reports of portions of overseas development assistance in the National Budget in the last five years and ensuring the capturing of same in National Budgets.

“Prepare half yearly and annual reports on performance of aid and development cooperation in Nigeria as well as monthly, quarterly briefing notes for the Honourable Minister of State for Budget and National Planning.

“Provide Technical resources and back up to the Honourable Minister of State for Budget and National Planning as well as any Federal Government delegation to OECD-DAC/ Donor’s meetings both nationally and overseas.”

They are also expected to Facilitate Nigeria’s participation and Engagement in Global, Regional and Sub-regional processes on Aid and Development Effectiveness such as: Peer Reviews with Donors, Triangular Cooperation, South-South Cooperation, Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) and Domestic Resource Mobilisation.

The Task Force will also carry out any other activities that may be assigned to the task force and Advise Government at all levels on aid and development   cooperation issues and work in liaison with other MDAs/Stakeholders for Nigeria’s exit from Aid dependence

The minister said other members of the Task Force would be announced on a later date, while a formal inauguration to the Task Force would take place thereafter. He noted that a secretariat will be established for the operations of the Task Force, noting that the Task Force which will report directly to him will provide day-to-day policy liaison with Government, National Assembly and the donor community in Nigeria.

Responding on behalf of the newly established Task Force, the Co-Chair (Government), Mrs. Elizabeth Akpan Egharevba  said the Task Force was long overdue and an initiative whose time has come, noting that Nigeria ought to have done better than it was doing on issues  of aid and development effectiveness.

“We want all hands to be on deck to contribute meaningfully to aid and development effectiveness in Nigeria,” Mrs. Egharevba said.

It would be recalled that Nigeria has been a major player and partner of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) and was a champion of effective development co-operation principles and signed up to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005), Accra Agenda for Action (2008), Busan Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (2011), Mexico Communique 2014.

For further information, please contact 08187674339 or info@aneej.org and follow us on Instagram and facebook: aneej__nigeria and facebook.com/aneejnigeria

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