By Dada Ahmed
Abuja
The Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, has said the Authority would continue to commit resources to the training of its staff in all areas that could help optimize the contribution of the agency to the country’s economic growth.
Adesugba made the remark at the opening of a 2-day training on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) organized for the staff in the Planning, Research and Statistics Department on Wednesday in Abuja.
This is contained in a statement signed by Martins Odeh
Head Corporate Communications, NEPZA in Abuja and a copy available to The Reporters,an online publication on Wednesday.
The Chief Executive Officer, who was represented by Mr Bitrus Dawuk, Director, Finance and Account, said the ultimate aim was to groom a highly sophisticated workforce in the area of project conceptualization, monitoring and evaluation.
“With the reconstitution, repositioning and upgrading of the Planning, Research and Statistics unit to a department, it becomes necessary to upscale the skill level of the staff of the department.
“The new focus of the DPRS requires a structure that is robust and responsive to the demands of a fast growing and complex Special Economic Zone Scheme.
“This requires that personnel of the department be competent and have skills to ensure reliance, cohesion, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the scheme,’’ the NEPZA boss said.
On his part, Dr. Oyesola Oyekunle, Director, Planning, Research and Statistics said the importance of the training could not be overemphasized, adding that the planning and research were the brainbox of the agency.
Oyekunle explained that exposing the staff to M&E would help to retool the Authority towards conducting its affairs with precision.
He, therefore, expressed satisfaction in the attention and new high level commitment of the new managing director toward human resource development, adding that the development would doubtlessly leapfrog the Authority to an enviable height.
The Reporters gathered that the training was outsourced to Poise Resource Centre Ltd.
It consists of the following lectures: “Principles and Practice of M&E’’, “Monitoring and Evaluation System and Frame Works’’, “Managing People in a Result-Based Oriented Organisation’’.
Others are:“Cloud Computing for Monitoring and Evaluation’’, “Data/Information Gathering and Sources of Data’’, “Evidence Based Planning and Decision Making’’, and “Public Expenditure Management: The Budget Process’’.
