{"id":23009,"date":"2019-12-11T21:05:37","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T20:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=23009"},"modified":"2019-12-11T21:05:37","modified_gmt":"2019-12-11T20:05:37","slug":"development-of-sustainable-infrastructure-for-rural-economic-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=23009","title":{"rendered":"Development of sustainable infrastructure for rural economic development"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Prince Clem Ikanade Agba<\/strong>
\nINTRODUCTION
\nI am pleased to be here with you as a Guest of Honour at this National Conference. I have been intimated to the goal of this conference, which is to analyse the current infrastructure \u00a0policy direction, develop method of building sustainable infrastructure\u00a0 and industrial growth required to propel our national economy. I commend the Nigerian Society of Engineers for this timely and strategic intervention aimed at building \u00a0resilient infrastructure to\u00a0 develop, as depicted by the theme of this paper,\u00a0 sustainable infrastructure for rural economic development.
\nCONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
\n2.\u200bSustainable Infrastructure Development has evolved as a paradigm to meet the development needs of man and to ensure that rural economic development is achieved without compromising\u00a0 the\u00a0 environment and the delicate social balance.\u00a0 The culture of sustainable infrastructure development is more entrenched in the developed economies\u00a0 than what obtains in the developing countries. However, the responsibility to ensure that infrastructure development is sustained is no less important for developing countries including Nigeria, given a number of factors such as rapid urbanisation, decaying infrastructure, difficult regulatory environment, marginal growth in productivity with recurring budget\u00a0 deficits, and, preoccupation with meeting existential needs by all means. The environmental exploitation and the resultant degradation make it compelling for government and relevant stakeholders to consciously and strategically engage in the task of continuously developing public infrastructure.
\nSTATE OF INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA
\n3.\u200bDeveloped infrastructure is functional to economic development and growth.\u00a0 Quality\u00a0infrastructure is\u00a0thus\u00a0necessary to avoid\u00a0service disruptions. It is also required\u00a0to support a\u00a0wide\u00a0range of important\u00a0activities in\u00a0the rural economy.\u00a0Unfortunately, despite the huge capital\u00a0outlays\u00a0by successive administrations in the past, Nigeria\u2019s delivery on\u00a0infrastructure remains\u00a0 inadequate\u00a0while effort to improve them have\u00a0yet to fully yield\u00a0the desired results.\u00a0Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this administration under the leadership of President\u00a0Muhammadu\u00a0 Buhari,\u00a0is committed to building infrastructure across the country on a sustainable basis. Just recently, the President approved the release of N600 billion for some infrastructure projects.\u00a0The N2.145 trillion for MDAs’ capital expenditure will be applied to priority projects otherwise, to use my common analogy of making sandwich from a loaf of bread and a small quantity of butter, if the butter is\u00a0thinly spread to\u00a0the entire bread, it would not\u00a0be enough to make a rich sandwich. Therefore, one has to be measured in the application of butter to the loaf of bread by taking out a portion of the loaf of bread. That is the reasonable approach we are adopting in applying the little resources we have budgeted for capital expenditure in building infrastructure in parts and\u00a0across the country.\u00a0This approach will,\u00a0by and large,\u00a0help us to build infrastructure on sustainable\u00a0basis in the critical areas of Power, Transport, Social\u00a0Infrastructure \u00a0(Education and Health), Water and Sanitation Infrastructure,\u00a0etc.\u00a0However, with basic infrastructure\u00a0and services in acute short supply in the rural\u00a0areas when weighed against the huge funding in past years, it becomes easy to indict past administrations for creating avoidable funding gaps or deficits in development of infrastructure.
\n4.\u200bLet us consider the power sector, for instance.\u00a0Nigeria\u2019spower generation capacity fluctuates between 3500 and 5000 megawatts. The\u00a0electricity consumption per capita of about 111 Kilowatt per hour\u00a0is one of the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although,\u00a0power generation and distribution have improved in recent times,\u00a0yet,\u00a0the expected level\u00a0of delivery or performance\u00a0has not been attained.
\nThe\u00a0President\u00a0Muhammadu\u00a0Buhari administration is committed to ensuring that the issues around power generation, distribution and transmission are addressed so that\u00a0power sector performance is\u00a0optimised. This administration believes that the country has the\u00a0capacity to increase megawatts to far above 10,000 (\u2078megawatts) in the next few years in so long as power sector infrastructure are incrementally built. If the whopping $16 billion earmarked for power projects by the\u00a0Obasanjo\u00a0 administration had been judiciously expended, Nigeria would have today broken the power sector jinx. There would have been a significant boost in power generation, distribution and transmission.\u00a0Also, the expected\u00a0stage\u00a0of road transport network has\u00a0also\u00a0not been achieved.\u00a0The rail network,\u00a0which is supposed to be an alternative means of transportation,\u00a0accounts for less than 2 percent of land transport in the country. This cannot therefore take off pressure from the road\u00a0transport infrastructure, which has continued to\u00a0cave in\u00a0under the weight of heavy vehicular traffic nationwide.\u00a0About\u00a098 percent of goods\u00a0 are\u00a0still being transported by road, a sad reflection\u00a0of the poor state of\u00a0road transport\u00a0infrastructure\u00a0development in the country.
\n5.\u200bDeveloped infrastructure on a sustained basis as a micro indicator is inextricably intertwined with sustainable\u00a0 economic\u00a0 development at the macro-economic level. The pursuit and subsequent\u00a0 realisation of sustainable infrastructure\u00a0development is, therefore,\u00a0 more desirable than ever especially in Nigeria. The current Administration has demonstrated commitment to addressing existing deficit by focusing on completing highly impactful projects and deepening reforms to increase Private Sector investments.
\nOVERVIEW OF NIIMP & ITS IMPLEMENTATION FOR SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
\n6.\u200bThe Federal\u00a0Government will continue to come up with policies and\u00a0 programmes\u00a0that will bolster infrastructure development. For instance, the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP)\u00a0as developed by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning seeks to raise the stock of infrastructure from the current level of 30 percent of the Gross Domestic Product to at least 70 percent by 2043.\u00a0The\u00a0National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan\u00a0 provides the roadmap for building\u00a0 world-class infrastructure that will guarantee sustainable economic growth and development. It would enable the nation to take advantage of the vast opportunities in the rural, domestic and global economies to enhance the nation\u2019s competitiveness and improve the quality of life of the citizenry. It provides an integrated view of infrastructure development in Nigeria, with clear linkages across key sectors \u2013 Transportation, Energy, Social Infrastructure, Housing, Security,\u00a0etc.\u00a0The implementation of\u00a0the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan,\u00a0 therefore,
\nrequires participation of Private Sector, Development Partners and the collaboration of the Nigerian Society of Engineers\u2019, Academia, Civil Societies to build durable\u00a0infrastructure that can promote sustainable industrial growth for rural economic development.
\n7.\u200bIt is pertinent to note that the present Administration also took a bold step to address the challenges\u00a0faced in the implementation of\u00a0infrastructure projects\u00a0by unbundling and merging some Ministries, Departments and Agencies, among which are\u00a0Federal Ministry of Transportation; Federal Ministry of Aviation;\u00a0Federal Ministry of Power, Works & Housing; and,Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning,\u00a0to mention\u00a0but a few,\u00a0towards ensuring effectiveness in the implementation of government projects and\u00a0programmes. This reform is aimed at creating\u00a0a\u00a0synergy in planning and budgeting process, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of infrastructure projects.
\n8.\u200bAnother strategy that the Government has\u00a0put in place to fast track\u00a0 infrastructure development is the involvement of Private\u00a0Sector participation, in\u00a0both Public Private Partnership (PPP)\u00a0arrangements\u00a0and full\u00a0scale or outright\u00a0privatization. This is necessary\u00a0to\u00a0reduce\u00a0the burden of the required infrastructure investments by the public sector.\u00a0 To\u00a0encourage\u00a0increased\u00a0Private Sector\u00a0participation, the Federal\u00a0 Government has addressed some issues that\u00a0often\u00a0discourage Private Sector players from investing in infrastructure in Nigeria through the establishment of\u00a0the\u00a0Economic Recovery and Growth Plan Focus Labs (ERGP Focus Lab) in\u00a0Budget and National Planning (BNP)\u00a0to facilitate ease of doing business in Nigeria. The Lab\u00a0emphasises investment\u00a0in infrastructure, especially in power, roads, rail, agriculture, education and\u00a0health,\u00a0etc. It builds on ongoing projects and identifies new ones to be implemented by 2020 to improve the national infrastructure backbone.
\nROLE OF THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS (NSE) AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
\n9.\u200bPoorly constructed roads, drainages and social infrastructure\u00a0constitute a drain on public funds as the infrastructure deteriorate fast and trigger increase in cost of\u00a0rehabilitation or reconstruction.\u00a0A number of factors may be responsible for this situation among which are defective engineering designs, inaccurate costing,\u00a0use of sub-standard materials\u00a0with little or no compliance with\u00a0specifications and standards,\u00a0and,\u00a0above all,\u00a0corruption. I am sure these are some of the issues that require the attention of the\u00a0NSE\u00a0and other stakeholders\u00a0present\u00a0at this Conference. The\u00a0NSE\u00a0can play\u00a0a very\u00a0important role in project cost control, cost estimate, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation of sustainable infrastructure\u00a0projects and developments.
\nAPPROACHES TO SUSTAINING INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA
\n10.\u200bInfrastructure development is an enabler for socio-economic\u00a0development. Insights\u00a0into\u00a0the existing level of infrastructure development in Nigeria and global practices inform the following means of ensuring sustainable infrastructure\u00a0development for rural economic development:
\ni.\u00a0Strengthening of Legal and Institutional policy frameworks\u00a0and reforms, as well as, adopting eco-efficient practices in management and provision;
\nii.\u00a0Private Sector-driven participation in\u00a0sustaining power, transport and social infrastructure, and, indeed all other classes of infrastructure\u00a0in Nigeria;
\niii.\u00a0International Community Participation\u00a0through support for\u00a0the implementation of best practices in infrastructure management, as well as, promoting sustainable development initiatives;
\niiii.\u00a0Public Sector Commitment whereby government plays a dominant role in the level of sustainability that will be inculcated in the development strives; and,
\nv.\u00a0Stakeholders\u2019 participation including the civil societies, academia, professional bodies, etc.
\nCONCLUSION
\n11.\u200bThe intertwining roles of various stakeholders such as the Government, International\u00a0Organisations,\u00a0Non-Governmental\u00a0Organisation (NGOs), Civil Society Groups, and the Private Sector are\u00a0essential in the development and management of sustainable infrastructure for rural economic development.\u00a0Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen,\u00a0I wish to implore\u00a0you\u00a0not to give up on individual and collective effort\u00a0directed towards\u00a0infrastructure development that would be visible\u00a0and sustainable for rural economic development.
\n12.\u200bI\u00a0thank\u00a0the\u00a0Nigerian\u00a0Society of Engineers (NSE)\u00a0for\u00a0inviting me to deliver this paper at its Annual General Meeting. The theme\u00a0of this conference,\u00a0which\u00a0centres\u00a0on \u201cbuilding resilient infrastructure to promote sustainable industrial growth\u201d, requires serious interrogation at this meeting.\u00a0The theme is also a clear indication that the\u00a0NSE\u00a0has proved itself to be a worthy partner in infrastructure development. The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning\u00a0is eagerly looking forward\u00a0to receiving from the society the outcomes of this conference, which hopefully\u00a0should\u00a0contain implementable recommendations\u00a0around the theme.
\n13.\u200bI thank you all for your attention.
\n* This paper was presented by Dr Phillip Ugbodaga, SA (Admin), on behalf of the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning,\u00a0 Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, at the National Engineering and Annual General Meeting- “Kano 2019” – organised by the Nigerian Society of Engineers from December 2-6, 2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Prince Clem Ikanade Agba INTRODUCTION I am pleased to be here with you as a Guest of Honour at this National Conference. I have been intimated to the goal of this conference, which is to analyse the current infrastructure \u00a0policy direction, develop method of building sustainable infrastructure\u00a0 and industrial growth required to propel our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":20514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5777],"tags":[412,383,439],"class_list":["post-23009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-features","tag-agba","tag-development","tag-rural"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23009\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}