MDGs: N1 trillion with little value added

RECENTLY the Federal Government announced that over a trillion naira had been spent on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This was stated to buttress the government's commitment to achieving the goals. The government, however, failed to tell Nigerians the record of achievements in concrete terms. In fact, it has become a habit by government officials to announce the commitment or release of funds to Nigerians as if financial commitment to problems automatically solves those problems.
IN the case of the MDGs, we task the government to go beyond announcing the expenditure on the MDGs and the need for more funds to see the process through. The government must tell Nigerians how fund so far committed to the goals were spent and actual records of achievement. The overall objective of the MDGs is the reduction of the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day to half the 1990 level by 2015. The government needs to tell Nigerians each time it reports on the goal how their country is doing in this regard. The need to have clear idea of achievements is further underscored by the fact that an enduring fiscal space was created by the foreign debt deal of 2006 and recovered looted funds stashed in foreign banks were allocated to the achievement of MDGs and poverty reduction. Besides, there are monitoring arrangements involving the World Bank and Department for International Development and civil society groups which make it important that the funds must be subjected to proper use.


THERE are eight MDGs. These are to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empowerment of women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability, develop a global partnership for development.


THE first five goals have very clear measurable indices. This means that progress in those areas can be measured. For instance, an assessment of Africa's progress towards the achievement of the MDGs as made by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa published in 2008 shows that progress has been slow in achieving a significant number of the targets. Africa has made some progress in aggregate school enrolment but school completion rates remain on average at 60 per cent. Eleven countries in Africa had achieved gender parity in primary school enrolment in 2005. There is still significant under representation of girls at the secondary school level.


NORTH Africa has met the first target to reduce hunger by half in 2015. Child mortality rate is still very high in Africa. Malaria accounts for the high rate of child mortality in West Africa while HIV/AIDS is responsible for the high level of child mortality in Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. The report observed that progress is slowest in health-related MDGs. Nigeria's official poverty line is put at 54.4 per cent. This is below the levels in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Cameroon.


THERE is no evidence that significant achievements have been made in the health and education sector. For instance, Nigeria still does not have the kind of public health system that a country like it needs. Life expectancy is about 46.8 years. This is very poor compared to the average in high income countries. Adult literacy is 69.1per cent. Only 48 per cent of the population have access to clean water and maternal mortality is 1,100 per 100,000 live births.


WHILE the investment of funds in the MDGs is a mark of commitment to the goals, the government must recognise and admit that the overall performance in the achievement of the goals is below expectation. That acknowledgement is necessary in order for the government to reassess the implementation process in a candid manner.


GIVEN the reality of the global economic meltdown and the resultant fall in government revenue, the government must enforce its value for money policy in prosecuting the MDGs. Henceforth, concern over the MDGs must focus on clear benchmarks for monitoring and accessing progress. The government must strengthen the monitoring process by empowering the non-government actors to be effective in providing reports and advic e to improve on the implementation process.
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