NCDMB, SON most efficient MDAs — FG

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria have maintained efficiency and transparency compliance ranking scale among other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the Federal Government in Nigeria.

NCDMB and SON were ranked first and second respectively in terms of efficiency and transparency among MDAs by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, PEBEC stated on Sunday in its Business Facilitation Performance Results for 2023.

PEBEC was established in July 2016 by the Federal Government to oversee Nigeria’s business environment intervention. It has the mandate of removing bureaucratic and legislative constraints to doing business and improving the perception of the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

Its latest business facilitation performance result covering January 2023 to December 2023 showed the top five MDAs with commendable performance, among which are NCDMB with 70.07 per cent; SON, 69.5 per cent; and Corporate Affairs Commission, 65.1 per cent.

Others include the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, 65.04 per cent; and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, 63.51 per cent.

PEBEC, however, urged MDAs to take concrete steps to improve efficiency and transparency ratings before the end of the 2024 reporting period as only 10 MDAs, out of 39 scored above 50 per cent during the 2023 review period.

“With only 10 MDAs scoring above 50 per cent and a weighted average score of 34.87 per cent across the 39 MDAs, strategic measures to enhance sector-specific metrics will need to be prioritised. These MDAs must take concrete steps to improve efficiency and transparency ratings before the end of the 2024 reporting period.

Most importantly, MDAs should as a matter of urgency set up BFA Implementation Reform Committees. These committees will be responsible for steering BFA implementation initiatives in the MDAs, accelerating the strides taken in promoting a culture of transparency and accountability.

This will be in furtherance of the implementation strategies of the eight-point agenda of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, designed to boost economic reforms for sustained inclusive growth across all sectors,” PEBEC stated.

The council strongly urged the MDAs covered in the report to draw insights from empirical data and past BFA reports (since 2018) to drive essential improvements in efficiency and transparency.

It said the high-performing MDAs demonstrated commendable performance in both efficiency and transparency through diligent adherence to their Service Level Agreements during the 2023 reporting year.

It noted that the overall performance of MDAs highlights the need for massive improvement in key BFA compliance metrics.

The Special Adviser to the President on PEBEC and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, stated that over the past seven years, PEBEC had consistently published compliance reports, providing an empirical analysis of the monthly reports from MDAs.

She said an MDA’s EO1 performance score is based on efficiency and transparency measures, with a 70 to 30 per cent ratio.

According to her, efficiency measures compliance with service delivery timelines and directives of the EO1.

Oduwole also stated that transparency is assessed based on website updates, online service portals, detailed service information, timelines, costs, statutory requirements, and customer service contact details.

Source: PUNCH

Image: TheConclaveNg