By PROVIDENCE OBUH

The Institute of Strategic Management, Nigeria (ISMN), has said that strategy and leadership should be given priority to help solve national problem and create development.

In his keynote address, at the institute’s annual conference/ 10th anniversary, with the theme: “Strategy and Leadership: Panacea to our National Malaise,” Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, said that a developmental state is anchored on strategic thinking.

Fayemi said, “Creating a strategic mindset in governance is the key to constructing a sustainable future. Strategic leadership therefore is not just designed to answer questions in the present but to anticipate and answer the developmental questions posed by the future.

“A developmental state is anchored on strategic thinking. In this sense, the pursuit of development in a world in which nations are competing for advantage calls for the adoption of strategic intelligence.

He noted that development planning is a long term endeavour, saying, “Embracing strategic thinking also means jettisoning our institutional and cultural predilection for short-termism. Development planning is a long term endeavour.

“The economic miracle of Southeast-Asian nations was built on the back of long term planning. China’s emergence which is perhaps the most talked about and analyzed development story in recent times was nurtured over the course of thirty years. These are the countries we want to emulate.”

Earlier in his welcome address, ISMN President, Mr. Otive Igbuzor said that the development of any nation requires a comprehensive development strategy.

Igbuzor noted that the development strategy of a nation is a comprehensive policy document that identifies the priority areas of the country, the resources available in the country and how to harness the resources to bring about improvement in the lives of the citizens.