The federal government has inaugurated an inter-ministerial committee to oversee the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) programme to enhance service delivery across key sectors.

This is contained in a statement on Monday by Osagie Jacobs, director of information and public relations at the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

She explained that the HOPE programme focused on improving education, healthcare services, and good governance for the benefit of Nigerians.

The committee is chaired by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, and co-chaired by the Ministers of Finance, Health and Social Welfare, Education, and Women Affairs.

Their responsibilities include assessing the programme’s implementation progress, evaluating disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs), reviewing national priorities and monitoring strategies, and addressing challenges affecting the programme.

Mr Bagudu emphasised that the ministry’s role was to coordinate the implementation of the government’s national development plans.

He explained that the committee’s inauguration aimed to develop a clear roadmap for the smooth execution of the HOPE programme, stressing, “We are not competing; we are complementing each other to drive the HOPE project.”

The steering committee will be coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning through the HOPE Governance National Programme Coordinating Unit (NCPU), which will also serve as the programme’s secretariat.

Assad Hassan, the national coordinator of HOPE-Governance, stated that the NCPU would collaborate closely with federal ministries as well as state and local government counterparts to ensure effective implementation.

According to the statement, all co-chairs were present at the inauguration and pledged their full support for the programme’s success.

The ministers highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms prioritised human capital development to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

(NAN)