The National Economic Council (NEC) has endorsed ‘Nigeria Agenda 2050’ designed to take the country through to upper middle-income country and subsequently to the status of high-income countries.

The National Economic Council endorsed the agenda at a meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.

The agenda was presented by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to State Governors and other members of NEC, including ministers.

Speaking after the presentation and discussion by council members, Osinbajo stated that the plan “captures a lot of the expectations for Nigeria in the future and hopefully implementation which is key if effectively done.”

Also speaking on the Agenda 2050, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, said the Federal Government has taken unprecedented steps in ensuring the operationalisation of the plan, especially with the inauguration of the Steering Committee of the National Development Plan by Osinbajo.

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According to a statement issued by Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, the Vice President had earlier on Tuesday inaugurated the Steering Committee of the National Development Plan.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, on  September 9, 2020,  inaugurated the National Steering Committee (NSC) for the preparation of the Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2021–2025 and Nigeria Agenda 2050.

The Nigeria Agenda 2050 is formulated against the backdrop of several subsisting development challenges in the country.

These challenges include low, fragile, and non-inclusive economic growth; high population growth rate, pervasive insecurity, limited diversification, macroeconomic and social instability, low productivity and high import dependence.

The agenda is a perspective plan designed to transform the country into an “Upper-Middle Income Country”, with a significant improvement in per capita income.

The plan aims to fully engage all resources, reduce poverty, achieve social and economic stability.

It also targets developing a mechanism for achieving a sustainable environment consistent with global concerns about climate change, among other functions.

The Star