FG to send infrastructure master plan to NASS

The Federal Government on Thursday said it would send the National Integrated Master Plan as an executive bill to the National Assembly to give it a legal backing. The NIMP Bill, it said, would help to consolidate the priority changes in the legal environment. The Minister and Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, stated this in Abuja while briefing journalists on the partnership with private sector players for the implementation of the policy. The first phase of the implementation of the plan, which will cover 2014 to 2018, will gulp N166bn. Sulaiman said the private sector would provide 48 per cent funding for the project, which amounts to N79.68bn, while the public sector would finance the balance of N86.72bn. He said, “The reform agenda of the present administration emphasizes the role of the private sector in the economy. In line with this, the private sector is expected to drive the NIMP implementation in the long run. Governments at various levels are expected to create the enabling environment for private sector participation to flourish. This will require strengthening institutions, structures, process and capacities to ensure effective regulation, enforcement of standards and coordination of implementation of the NIMP. At the appropriate time, we will send the NIMP to the National Assembly as an executive bill. To fast-track the implementation of the policy, the minister said the government had entered into a partnership with the African Infrastructure Summit Group to market the initiative to the world. This, according to him, will be facilitated through an infrastructure summit to be held before the end of the year.

Punch Newspaper