Boom
By Lizzy Okoji
Abuja, Dec. 20, 2018 (NAN) The Developing- 8 organisation also known as the D-8 has said that it was optimistic it would generate over one trillion dollars from the health sector alone with the cooperation and collaboration of member states.
Dr Ado Muhammad, the Special Adviser, D8 Health and Social Protection Programme, made this known on Thursday in Abuja while appearing on the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum.
Muhammad stated that this could be achieved following the D8’s new commitments of diversifying to the health sector as another area of cooperation and collaboration among member states.
He said that the D8 organisation will also be encouraging inter-trading and civil-trading between member countries in other to supersede its five million dollar set target in the sub-sector.
He observed that not much progress was made by the organisation in the health sector as it had been more involved in areas of cooperation such as agriculture, poverty alleviation, energy, amongst others.
“We should be able to see a volume of trade of over one trillion dollars or even more just from the health sector in terms of pharmaceuticals of member countries.
“There would be cooperation and collaboration in terms of product being produced and being procured by another country.
“So that within our eight member countries, virtually all we need in pharmaceuticals will be sourced from the member countries.
“D8 Organisations have been actively involved in some areas of cooperation like Agriculture, energy, poverty alleviation but, unfortunately, not much progress has been made in some other areas like health.
“Considering that the organisation is going to the next phase of development, which is implementation, the Secretary General felt that it is important that health should be looked at critically.
“We all know the vision behind D8 as an organization is to encourage economic cooperation and collaboration between member countries and how we can use our interventions to enhance the economy of member countries.
“For development to happen, for an economy to grow, it is important that health should be involved,’’ Muhammad said.
Muhammad said that to achieve economic development, the D8’s social investment programme would also be addressing the issue of social protection.
He said that the organisation would encourage porgrammes of member countries that fell under the Social Investment Programmes and would be support them.
He lauded the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for doing a lot of interventions under its Social Investment Programmes (SIP) and pledged the support of the D8.
Muhammad said that the organisation, which cuts across the continents, was working on carrying out a PEER review in terms of managing best practices from each country and how others could learn from that.
He said in line with that, the D8 would support member countries through technical assistance, resource mobilisation and very robust performance management system.
The D-8 official said that it intended to achieve all the plans through Monitoring and Evaluation framework of its health and social investment porgramme.
He further explained that the Social Investment Programme was not an independent entity, but a complimentary programme under the administrative office of the Secretary-General also geared toward economic development. (NAN)
LIZ/DCU
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Edited by Donald Ugwu