Foundation gives National Institute for Legislative Studies $1.2million grant capacity building

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), has given a grant of $1.2 million to the National Institute for Legislative Studies.

The fund which is to help fund regional workshops to enhance the technical capacity of parliamentarians to better perform their economic and financial oversight function was given by the African Union’s Specialized Agency for Capacity Development, to consolidate its support for Nigeria’s development.

Coming under a second generation of the National Institute for Legislative Studies Capacity Building Project also known for short as NILS-CAP II, the fund will equally be used to provide training that will enhance the accountability of state institutions in the West Africa sub-region as well as augment the capacity of lawmakers to oversee implementation of intra-regional trade agreements and negotiations in the global market.

ACBF’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, in a speech at the ceremony, said that the implementation of the project would further enhance the status of NILS as a national institution with a regional outlook.

“The project will enable NILS to, among other things, organise dialogue sessions for policy makers and legislators to deliberate on important national and regional development issues,” Prof. Nnadozie said.

Adding that “More important, this grant will enable NILS to expand its coverage to Francophone countries and work closely with the ECOWAS Parliament.”

In his remarks, Senate President and Chairman of the Institute’s governing body, Dr. BukolaSaraki, called on stakeholders to address the issues of smuggling of goods such as rice and pharmaceutical products into Nigeria from neighboring countries, thereby undermining the huge investment in local production.

If not carefully addressed, he noted, the trend could hamper the implementation of a healthy regional trade and agricultural policies in the Economic Community of West African States, he warned.

“I, therefore, urge all stakeholders during the consideration of the NILS-CAP II to thoroughly and carefully address these anomalies to ensure a healthy and competitive trade policy among ECOWAS countries,” DrSaraki said.

Since its inception, ACBF has committed more than $30 million to develop human and institutional capacity in Nigeria.

Beyond the support to NILS, ACBF’s assistance to Nigeria-based institutions has benefitted institutions including the Center for Management Development (CMD), the former National Center for Economic Management and Administration (NCEMA), and the West African Institute of Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), providing training for about 15,000 Nigerian public officials.