Akwa Ibom Stakeholders Brainstorm on USAID State2State 2025 Workplan
By Ekemini Simon
As United States Agency for International Development (USAID) State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness (State2State) Activity move towards the fifth and final year of implementation, State2State Activity team have met with stakeholders from Akwa Ibom State to prioritize intervention activities that State2State will implement and identify those that the state will take up in the 2025 budget cycle and beyond as sustainability measures for reform interventions in Akwa Ibom State.
The stakeholders which were drawn from State2State focused Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) both at the State and local government levels, State2State partners, Civil Society Organisations and the media met in Port Harcourt, Rivers State for a 3-Day consultative workshop to co-create need-driven and tailored interventions for Akwa Ibom State workplan process.
The consultative meeting had witnessed interface and joint planning sessions with a review of ongoing year four work plan implementation, results and key outcomes, appraisal of existing reform challenges and gaps, as well as harvest stakeholders’ inputs for the new fiscal year’s work plan designed to commence from October 2024 through September 2025.
The gathering had reviewed data gathered from a review of reports and assessments such as service delivery across primary healthcare, basic education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), public finance management, gender and social inclusion and conflict management.
In his remarks, the State Team Lead of State2State Activity in Akwa Ibom State, Borve Paago-Imabel commended the government of Akwa Ibom State for welcoming its interventions and also acting on many.
He called on the government of Akwa Ibom State not to delay further signing on to the Open Government Partnership (OGP,) as that will improve governance in the State and also open the State to more opportunities.
On her part, the Chief of Party, USAID State2State Activity, Irene Karimi while commending the government of Akwa Ibom State for the level of reforms recorded through its intervention said State2State is poised to leave marked legacies for the benefit of Akwa Ibom State.
Represented by the Technical Director of Public Finance Management, Dr. Olugbenga Oyewole, called on the stakeholders to give their best in prioritizing what is recommended into the work plan for year five stressing that Sustainability after State2State must have left is key.
He added ” There is a need for us to take seriously the aspect of sustainability of the reforms we have engineered. We want to consolidate and deepen what we have done for the benefit of Akwa Ibom State.”
In his address, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Economic Development, Mr. Emem Bob thanked State2State for the many interventions brought to the State.
Represented by the Honorary Special Adviser to Governor Umo Eno on Economic Development, Dr. Felix Udofia, noted that the State hopes to see more open, impactful and need driven programmes in the year five (5) plan of State2State for Akwa Ibom people while assuring that the State officials trained will cascade their knowledge in an effort to sustain the reforms.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Civil Society Organisations Forum, Harry Udoh thanked State2State for having been instrumental to enhancing visibility of CSOs activities in Akwa Ibom State.
He said that by creating forums where State Actors and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) meet to interface, there has been better understanding on the part of the government on the responsibility of CSOs.
He assured that the CSOs in the State will work hard to ensure State2State work plan for the remaining part of year four and year five succeeds coupled with readiness to push for sustainability modalities for the reforms so far recorded.