Centre LSD and experts endorse Tinubu NDP, emphasising economic diversification, private sector growth, and poverty reduction
The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), alongside political economists and development specialists, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for unveiling the 2026–2030 National Development Plan (NDP), describing it as a major shift after years of policy discontinuity.
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The endorsement followed a one-day high-level policy dialogue titled “The National Development Plan (2026–2030): Strategic Imperatives for Economic Transformation and Poverty Alleviation,” organised by Centre LSD in Abuja.
President Tinubu unveiled the five-year “Renewed Hope Plan” on February 10, 2026, targeting a $1 trillion economy through economic diversification and private sector-led growth.
The plan rests on five pillars: economic diversification, human capital development, subnational competitiveness, private sector-led growth, and climate resilience.
In his keynote address, Dr. Izozo Izu, a political economist and lecturer at Nile University, Abuja, described the initiative as a welcome departure from previous abandoned development approaches.
He warned that deliberate and disciplined execution is essential, highlighting potential pitfalls such as political instability, corruption, weak implementation, and ineffective public-private partnerships.
Izu stressed the importance of conducting a credible national population and housing census, ensuring community security, and establishing robust governance structures including a national steering committee and technical working groups.
Transparency and accountability, he said, must underpin the plan.
He also recommended prioritising infrastructure, agriculture, and energy, including a proposed $2.6 billion electricity sector reform, while urging states to leverage their comparative advantages, maintain fiscal discipline, and implement tax reforms to boost local revenue generation.
Monday Osasah, Executive Director of Centre LSD, represented by Board Secretary Ernest Kemakolam, described the NDP as an opportunity to redefine Nigeria’s development trajectory.
He added that the policy dialogue is a strategic platform to interrogate the assumptions, priorities, and implementation mechanisms of the plan.
“Nigeria has the resources. Nigeria has the people. Nigeria has the potential. What is required now is strategic leadership, effective institutions, and collective commitment,” Kemakolam said.
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The dialogue brought together key stakeholders to deliberate on strategic national issues, reinforcing the importance of collaborative implementation to achieve the plan’s ambitious economic and social targets.
