Anambra State of Nigeria: achieving the Millennium Development Goals
Mr Obi’s sure-footedness in the business
world has also been enhanced by his membership of a number of reputable professional associations: Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Bankers; Member, Nigerian Economic Summit Group; Commonwealth Business Council; British Institute of Directors etc. Happily married and the father of two teenage children, 49-year-old Governor Obi undoubtedly possesses the academic, professional and social stability for the onerous task of governing Anambra State.
Mr Peter Obi, Governor of Anambra State
1. BACKGROUND: THE STATE, ITS VISION AND
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
1.1 Te State and its Chief Executive Located in the south-east geopolitical zone of Nigeria and home to the Anambra Igbo, who are undoubtedly the most entrepreneurial group of people in sub-Saharan Africa, Anambra State today is under the democratic governance of Mr Peter Obi, who was elected Governor in 2006 and re-elected in 2010 for a second four- year tenure, thus becoming the only Governor of the State ever to serve two terms. With solid academic preparation at a variety
of Ivy League institutions, complemented by vast business/financial experience garnered from positions as chairman and director of a number of quoted companies, Mr Peter Obi came well prepared for the job. Before becoming Governor, his quest for
knowledge had taken him to the University of Nigeria; Lagos Business School Nigeria; Harvard Business School, USA; London School of Economics, UK; Columbia Business School, USA; Kellogg Graduate School of Management, USA; Institute for Management Development, Switzerland etc. Much of his business and financial experience came from his positions as former chairman of Fidelity Bank plc, Future View Securities Ltd and Paymaster Nigeria Ltd, as well as former director of Guardian Express Bank Plc and Chams Nigeria Ltd.
1.2 Our vision, our strategy Te Vision of Anambra State under Peter Obi’s administration is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). From all indications, Anambra State is among the very few sub-national governments in Africa to have adopted the MDGs as their vision in their commitment to the development of their societies. Te strategy for achieving this vision is a unique approach, christened Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS), with which all targets of the MDGs are being pursued simultaneously. Te beauty of ANIDS lies in its simultaneous development of all sectors. ANIDS is, basically, a strategy that allows
the State Government to plan carefully, budget properly, implement the plan, monitor the implementation, ensure delivery of the plan and encourage participation and feedback from the communities and stakeholders for whom the various ANIDS projects are being executed. At the heart of the participatory governance
in Anambra State today is the involvement of the people in all stages of the project cycle – from planning and budgeting to implementation. With ANIDS, the State has moved its planning and budgeting from being supply-driven to being demand-driven. Tis is necessary in order to maximise the benefits from very scarce resources because Anambra, not being an oil-producing state, is a relatively poor state. Because it is anchored on careful
planning and budgeting, ANIDS enables the government to identify budgetary gaps, some of which the state needs to fill with the support of its development partners. Tus,
in view of the meagre resources of Anambra State, collaboration with development partners (national and international) is of utmost importance. Unlike the situation in the past, before the Peter Obi administration, when Anambra was a pariah state and a no-go area for international development partners, a number of them are operating in Anambra State today, notably the UNDP, the EU and UNICEF.
2. HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT: STRIVING HARD, ACHIEVING RESULTS
ANIDS is the driving force behind the rapid development that has been taking place in Anambra State over recent years, with landmark achievements in every sector of the economy. Appreciating Anambra’s efforts, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals, Hajiya Amina Az-Zubair, said, “Anambra State has made remarkable success in the implementation of the MDGs Programme.” Te following examples will illustrate the efforts and some achievements in a few sectors:
2.1 Fighting poverty and hunger As a pro-poor, grassroots-oriented government, one of the first steps taken by the Peter Obi administration in its fight against poverty was to do a Poverty Mapping of the State to establish its poverty profile. Having thus identified the poorest Local Government Areas (LGAs), the government is making concerted efforts to eradicate extreme poverty in the State, particularly in these poor LGAs. Consequently, Anambra State government has consistently churned out pro-poor policies and programmes as the basis for poverty eradication in the State. In this regard, the FADAMA III Programme
has been a major avenue for providing capital and equipment support to hundreds of rural dwellers engaged in agro-related activities; capital support has also been given to thousands of the less-privileged – particularly women, widows, the physically challenged, as well as caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children – to enable them to either expand their trade or start petty trading or small-scale farming.
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