FG unveils task force on monitoring of aids, grants from development partners

THE Federal Government, yesterday, set up a task force comprising representatives of government and Civil society Organisations ( CSOS) for effective monitoring of aids, grants and technical assistance from development partners.

While Nigeria has been classified top 10 recipients of humanitarian aids, receiving three per cent of global share between 2015 and 2018, amounting to $ 4 billion, analysts have raised concerns over Nigeria’s heavy dependence on foreign aids.

But the Federal Government had argued that most aids and grants do not come into the country in monetary form, because Nigeria has been classified as a poor country, hence development partners implement projects.

However, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, who inaugurated the committee, stressed the need to put in place a system to monitor and promote effective development cooperation through building stronger partnerships with development partners.

He maintained that to maximise the benefits of development cooperation, the Federal Government was developing a strategy that would provide direction to collaboration for specific period of time.

Agba noted that the task force would involve stakeholders from government and non- state actors, while gender inclusiveness would be taken into consideration and transnational agreement signed by the country for documentation of all aids, grants, humanitarian assistance received in the last five years.

The task force would also identify and document specific local, national and international laws and regulations that have been shaped by development cooperation in Nigeria.

“This will establish that they are also expected to document existing overall context in which social groups and politicians interact with the local actors on the often contested policies being shaped by collaborations for development,” he said.