Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said that the Federal Government would privatise more public enterprises, especially roads and bridges.
The Vice-President, who spoke at a meeting with a delegation of the United Kingdom Department for International Development in the State House, Abuja, explained that the privatisation policy was a continuing process.
“Rather than relax on the programme, this administration will continue to support transparent and effective implementation of the privatisation programme towards achieving expanded investments, efficient productive sectors and an accelerated economic growth,” he said.
According to him, the economic team is working hard to ensure that by early January 2008, a lot of other public property and utilities are privatised.
He noted that privatisation would ensure 100 per cent maintenance of these utilities.
Jonathan said that the Bureau of Public Enterprises needed to work more closely with its international support agencies like the World Bank and the DFID to bring up modalities that would ensure that part of the profits accruing from privatisation were utilised in accelerated development of some aspects of the economy, rather than returning such to treasury.
The Vice-President commended the World Bank and DFID for their support in improving BPE’s capacity to implement programmes and in helping to develop and adopt best practices in privatisation transactions.
Earlier, the Director-General of the BPE, Mrs. Irene Chigbue, had briefed the Vice-President on the multilateral support of the USAID, World Bank, and DFID.
“These international Development Agencies have contributed immensely in the area of institutional and policy support by strengthening the capacity of BPE to manage the privatisation programme, through technical assistance, regulatory support and consensus building,” she said.
She noted that through DFID support, the BPE had concluded two major restructuring programmes in 2004 and 2006 and strengthened its management information systems.
The DFID Country Director, Mr. Eamon Cassidy, acknowledged that the Federal Government’s ongoing economic reforms “are timely and focused, especially as outlined in President Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda.”
“We recognise the successes of this administration since May 2007. The seven-point agenda is a focus for growth. Privatisation is working and it will make the private sector more effective,” he said.
He said DFID had been working with BPE since 2004, noting that “working relationship of both agencies has been extremely perfect.
By Ihuoma Chiedozie, Abuja
The Punch
Thursday, November 15, 2007
