By TINA AKANNAM
DUTSE—N32 trillion investment is needed to implement the first phase of the Vision 20:2020, Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, has said.

Usman, who spoke in Dutse, Jigawa State, said that such investments would be expected from the federal, states and the private sector for the nation to move into the league of 20 top developed countries in 2020.

The minister said this in his keynote address at the two-day meeting of National Council of Development Planning, adding that for the first time in over 30years, government had been able to translate its own vision to concrete action.

He said the federal and state governments would contribute N10 trillion and N9 trillion respectively while the private sector is expected to invest N13 trillion during the plan period of 2010-2013.

Usman said: ‘’We have articulated a long-term strategic development blueprint under the Nigeria Vision 20:2020, with our homegrown, strategic development agenda for stimulating economic growth that will launch the country into a path of sustainable and rapid economic development.”

He added that the key focus of the transformation agenda include good governance and infrastructural and human capital development, which would help in improving the electoral process as well as transform the budget process; the security challenges and job creation within the period.

The Minister further spoke on the importance of ‘’monitoring and evaluation’’ in national planning stressing that instituting such credible monitoring and evaluation frame work would promote transparency and accountability at all levels of government.

He also urged state governments to set up their own planning commissions and state Bureaux of statistics to enhance planning and data processing at the sub national level, just as he reiterated the federal government’s committed towards working closely with such state governments towards strengthening human and institutional capacities at all levels of governance.

In his brief remarks at the occasion, the Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido thanked the organizers of the meeting for choosing his state as host to such an important national gathering, and urged the participants to come out with resolutions that will improve the nation’s economy.