The Lagos State Government has declared its determination to align the process of planning and budgeting in Parastatals and Agencies with the T.H.E.M.E.S development agenda of the present administration.
Making this disclosure at a workshop organised for Heads of Planning, Research and Statistics in Parastatals/Agencies in the State, the Permanent Secretary, Parastatals Monitoring Office, Mrs. Kafayat Ajenifuja explained that in order to have an improved and efficient government, all process of planning and budgeting in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) must be seamlessly incorporated into the developmental agenda.
“In Governance, the role of effective and efficient budgeting and planning cannot be over-emphasised. The first step in the attainment of good governance begins with adequate planning and budgeting because project delivery is a derivative of efficient budgeting and planning”, she stated.
The Permanent Secretary revealed that the workshop, held at the Lagos State Records & Archives Bureau (LASRAB), Magodo, was part of the State government's approach to strengthening officers’ aptitude in the budgeting process and delivery.
According to her, parastatals and agencies of government are important to the social and economic development of the State. It is, therefore, imperative for them to have a standard planning and budgeting system for optimal service delivery.
She pointed out that the theme of the workshop: “The Role of Parastatals’ Planning, Research and Statistics Officers in Realisation of the T.H.E.M.E.S. Developmental Agenda”, is in recognition of the need to re-engineer parastatals/Agencies in the State for a better, effective and efficient service delivery.
In her words: “The objective of this discussion is to improve the performance of Parastatals and Agencies by ensuring adequate planning in better understanding of the essence of Planning, Research and Statistics in the State”.
Ajenifuja emphasised the need for all accounting officers in the State’s parastatals and agencies to be committed to promoting efficient planning and budgeting principles, stating that the role they perform is tangible to the delivery of quality services to the general public.
Speaking on the significance of planning, research and statistics in governance, the Permanent Secretary submitted that having adequate data will allow the government to make informed decisions on budgeting and subsequently manage resources effectively.
She submitted that government is focused on building capacity of officers to enrich their knowledge on the operational concept of effective, efficient planning and budgeting.
The Permanent Secretary further affirmed that the Parastatals Monitoring Office will soon commence a project inspection and monitoring of agencies.
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