ANAMBRA ECONOMIC SUMMIT: PROJECTS, CONCEPT AND OBJECTIVES

VOICE TO THE PEOPLE (V2P) PROJECT AND MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC PLANNING AND BUDGET

Programme: Anambra State Economic Summit

THEME: Firming the ‘Economic Foundation’ for a more prosperous Anambra State

Coordinating Organisation: Civil Rights Concern (CRC)

Context: Anambra State was created on 27th August, 1991 from the old Anambra State of South Eastern Nigeria. The population by 2006 census was estimated at 4,182,032, disaggregated as 2,174,641 males and 2,007,391 females with projected growth rate of 2.85 percent. The 2012 Anambra State Statistical Year Book estimated the population of the State to have grown to about 5.02 million. The State has literacy rate of over 75% and an exception to the belief that majority of rural populations are farmers; the survey on occupations of the State population across 12 LGAs showed that only about 46% of Household Heads on average are farmers, while about 54% are either artisans, traders or civil servants Anambra State strategic plan (ASSP) 2012 to 2013).

The need for an economic summit stems from this fact that the State has great potential in human resources and replete with many small businesses that can enormously contribute to revenue and employment generation where good incentive and support is provided to them. This can more effectively happen where all stakeholders make inputs from their perspectives for effective harnessing of resources and delivery of programmes in a manner that lifts the State from poverty to increased economic prosperity.

The State has many solid mineral deposits, gas and oil yet to be tapped (ASSP 2012 t0 2013). The State GDP was rated to have moved up by forty percent in 2009 from 735.80 billion to N1.005 trillion in 2011 (List of Nigerian States By GDP by PrinceB1 (m) and in 2014, achieved 1.5 trillion Naira (Anambra State 2014 Budget). In 2010, Anambra State ranked 16th on size of GDP (PPP) (List of Nigerian States By GDP by PrinceB1(m) 2013. These modest improvements are yet to improve availability of services, reduce unemployment and difficulties in accessing services in the State.

The State IGR averaged 10.45% annual performance rating between 2009 and 2011(Anambra State IGR Improvement Strategy). The government projected an increase of over 150% in 2015 financial year (FY). Positing actual IGR of N7,601,585,012.15 in 2012, N8,731,599,912.43 in 2013 and N10,454,312,316.18 in 2014 (NBS IGR 2014) makes it daunting; while it may be possible, the background performance in the past 3 years makes it lofty and underscores the need for all stakeholders to discuss and enrich the current programming of the government with more ideas.

Electricity is noted to be the pivot of a modern economy and has a bearing on the productivity of the State’s economy. Only estimated 36% of Anambra people have access to electricity and in Ayamelum LGA, it is only 3%. (ASSP 2010 to 2013) As at 2015, the energy situation in the country has not improved much to have surpassed the above estimation.

Sustaining services that prop the life of most vulnerable populations in agriculture in terms of availability and access to credit and other inputs such as seedlings, fertilizer, tractor services and other inputs have not been effective. Despite these challenges, rice production in the State is recording improvement from big agricultural operators that recently invested huge sums in rice production in the State.

Trade and commerce engages a good percentage of Anambra State population, there are many small scale business operators who are having multiple challenges in access to credit; Anambra State is coming after Lagos State with the highest number of Micro Finance Banks and the highest in the southeast having a total of 74 while Lagos State has 174 (The Micro Finance Newsletter CBN 2012) and leading in four sectors of the economy including automobile sector (Vanguard July 2012). SMEs in the State are complaining of multiple taxation andunnamable environment for business (evidence from the field by community organisations and NBS data survey on SMEs); Anambra State was rated as fourth lowest in ranking for ease of doing business in the southeast and distant 35th position out of the 36 states and FCT in 2010 (Thisday Newspapers Nigeria June 8 2012), since this rating was done, the current administration has substantially improved security situation in the State to attract businesses and this alone could improve the State’s rating.

The first generation industries in the State collapsed largely due to lack of basic facilities and unbearable overhead cost. Many people thence concentrated on buying and selling since production was not profitable due to high overhead cost and high cost of products that could not compete with imported goods.

The education sector has many challenges bordering on instructional materials, teacher availability especially in rural areas, absence of post primary schools in some communities leading to some children trekking some distance to school, the government currently adopted measures to stem the challenge in teachers accepting posting to rural areas by providing rural incentives andmeasures for teachers in rural areas. These measures are being watched fortheir impact.

The public primary health care centres are in a state of ineffectiveness and the general hospitals are merely gloried in their names. All these and others require intervention and engagement by all citizens to support the government to improve on its strategies and results.

Anambra State Economic Summit is thus envisioned to support the government increase economic growth and development of the State, focusing on strategies for increased revenue generation, industrial growth and access to socio-economic programmes that improved human lives and livelihoods of citizens. It will thus create a platform for stakeholders in different sectors of life to interact and generate ideas and programmes that will assist the government improve on its current efforts of achieving economic growth and development in the State

Rationale: it is to increase the quantity, quality and diversity of ideas that could make the difference in the development of Anambra State.

Objectives:

Objectives

1. To support the government improve on its strategies for revenue generation for the economic growth and development of the state.

2. To increase citizen’s access to government programmes in the economic sectors to grow their businesses

3. To improve on strategies for managing the challenges facing industrial and economic growth of the states.

4. To help identify opportunities that government can translate into tangibles like employment and catalyze growth in all aspects of the State’s economy.

Outputs

1. A commitment to change policies that require adjustment

2. Action plans

3. Ideas for improving revenue generation identified

4. Steps to help SMEs overcome challenges in building operational capacities and access to funding identified

5. Reports generated from the sectoralgroups enriches the government with more diverse ideas in developing its programmes

6. Strategies for managing the challenges in economic and social developmentof the State improved

7. Government commits to an action plan to tackle the challenges identified

Outcomes

1. Thriving MSMEs

2. Growing industries

3. Increased job opportunities

4. Opportunities in the economy fully utilized

5. Increased IGR

6. Improved competitiveness of the economy within and outside the State

7. Increased GDP

8. Increased access to social and economic programmes of the State