FG, UN, EU advance in plan to rebuild North East
FG, UN, EU advance in plan to rebuild North East
National Mirror, 05 Apr 2016
URL: http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/fg-un-eu-advance-in-plan-to-rebuild-north-east/
Hope is rising for the return of millions of internally displaced Nigerians to their homes and communities as plan for rebuilding of the North-Eastern states affected by insurgency has advanced significantly. Last week the pre-financing assessment jointly carried out by the federal and state governments alongside the global partners – the United Nations, World Bank and the European Union – was completed at a workshop in Abuja. The global partners, who had signed a tripartite agreement to facilitate the assessment, are now expected to support the Federal Government in financing the North East reconstruction, including an offer by the World Bank to make available $800m towards the rebuilding. Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, in a statement yesterday said there are also clear indications from the global partners to do more in terms of putting in place an institutional framework to rebuild, arrange financing even from other development agencies and additional sources.
He said, “The assessment and validation exercises completed in Nigeria’s North- East region have revealed the quantum of damage and requirements to address the post-conflict recovery. “For instance, while the extent of damage was put at about $9bn, the assessment revealed that over $6bn would be needed for immediate and near term stabilisation and recovery of the region. “During the final aspects of the assessment late last week in Abuja, international development partners and donors restated their commitments towards ensuring that key findings of the assessments are implemented. “This re-assurance was secured after the completion of the 2-day validation and consensus building workshop at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, convened by the Federal Government, World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations in conjunction with representatives of the six affected states to review findings and chart way forward.” He noted that the joint efforts of the federal and state governments with the global partners would now be directed to prioritising the needed interventions and projects, arranging their sequence and coming up with an action plan.
He said, “The assessment and validation exercises completed in Nigeria’s North- East region have revealed the quantum of damage and requirements to address the post-conflict recovery. “For instance, while the extent of damage was put at about $9bn, the assessment revealed that over $6bn would be needed for immediate and near term stabilisation and recovery of the region. “During the final aspects of the assessment late last week in Abuja, international development partners and donors restated their commitments towards ensuring that key findings of the assessments are implemented. “This re-assurance was secured after the completion of the 2-day validation and consensus building workshop at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, convened by the Federal Government, World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations in conjunction with representatives of the six affected states to review findings and chart way forward.” He noted that the joint efforts of the federal and state governments with the global partners would now be directed to prioritising the needed interventions and projects, arranging their sequence and coming up with an action plan.