Economy: Expert advises MDAs to operate as business

Economy: Expert advises MDAs to operate as business
NAN-HE-1
MDAs
By Cecilia Ologunagba
Lagos, Oct. 5, 2016 (NAN) An economist, Mr Adams Ohida, has advised Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to operate as business to enhance economic growth and development in the country.
Ohida told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos after addressing participants at the workshop on “Strategic Planning, Plan Formulation and Effective Linkage to Budgeting Process’’.
Ohida, who spoke on “Strategic Planning: Concepts, Processes and Functions,’’ urged MDAs to take the issue of efficiency seriously and plan strategically to achieve results.
“For example, how many banks do we have before? How many do we have today? We have 25 different banks now.
“If they were thinking strategically, they wouldn‘t have found themselves in such mess where some were eliminated and some were able to merge with other banks.
“In fact, you will remember that as many as nine banks merged; so that is what we are talking about, we must be thinking strategically,’’ the economist said.
Ohida, an Assistant Director with Centre for Management Development (CMD), said that the economic situation warranted thinking outside the box.
He said that most businesses, even those that were flourishing years back, could not function again while some government agencies had ceased to exist.
“Some are phased out and some have been merged with others: For example, CMD absorbed National Centre for Economic Administration.
“These are strategic issues; the idea of strategic planning is issue of effective and management of resources,’’ he said.
According to him, management planning is to align whatever you are doing with the vision, objectives and goals of the organisation.
“You have to think outside the box and think ahead; you have to be proactive, unlike the traditional management where they are reactive rather than proactive,’’ the director said.
He advised participants to use the knowledge acquired at the workshop to better themselves as well as their organisations.
NAN reports that about 450 officials drawn from 50 Federal Government MDAs attended the three-day workshop on planning and budgeting skills.
It was organised by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning and facilitated by CMD. (NAN)
CIA/WOJ
(Edited and controlled by Wale Ojetimi)