President Bola Tinubu has hailed the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its decades of support for Nigeria and has pledged to draw on its expertise to accelerate economic reforms.
Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila stated this on Thursday during a meeting at the Presidential Villa with Elsie Attafuah, the UNDP’s Resident Representative in Nigeria.
“UNDP has been around in this country for a long time, and some of the things you have done across a wide range of areas are commendable,” Gbajabiamila said.
He thanked the agency for backing President Tinubu’s reform agenda, including the “Made-in-Nigeria” policy aimed at boosting industrialization — an expansion of earlier local content rules in the oil sector.
The policy, which Gbajabiamila described as embodying a “Nigeria First” ethos, seeks to build value chains that spur employment and growth.
He called for UNDP’s help in practicalizing it, alongside efforts to increase women’s roles in politics and governance — drawing lessons from other African nations while respecting local cultural and religious norms.
Additional areas of collaboration could include poverty alleviation, education, agriculture, and mining, he added.
Ms. Attafuah, marking two years in Nigeria, praised President Tinubu’s “inspirational and encouraging” leadership and the strong ties between her agency and the government.
With many international donors pulling back, UNDP is pivoting from short-term projects to long-term strategies funded by national governments, she said, emphasizing prudent resource use and local ownership.
She described the “Made-in-Nigeria” push as a driver of jobs, competitiveness, trade, and innovation.
The agency has also launched a University Graduate Hub, where young innovators can showcase prototypes to attract investors.
Further partnerships she said are in the works for education and energy.
