At a webinar organised by the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, experts chart course for a proactive, all-inclusive and sustainable health system, AKEEM LASISI writes
A major lesson that COVID-19 has taught the world is the need to synthesise, strategise and seek the positive from an unpleasant phenomenon. It is primarily a health issue but it is bonding many sectors, including the public and private. The need to evaluate and consolidate such a partnership between government and the private sector in Nigeria is what inspired a recent webinar organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, At the programme experts from both facets rubbed minds on how the country can better manage the pandemic and build a structure that will be able to stand future eventualities.
The webinar tagged ‘Government and Private Sector Engagement in Times of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond’ brought together experts from strategic fields. Among them was acclaimed banker and Founder, Africa Initiative for Governance & Co- Chair Private, Governance and Institutions Policy Commission (GIPC), Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, who co-chaired it with Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, who is the Head of Service of the Federation. Other participants included Mrs. Wonu Adetayo, NESG Board Member & CEO, Kainos Edge Limited; Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu, Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters; and Dr. Emmanuel C. Meribole, Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies Office (SPSO), Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. The highly engaging webinar was moderated by Mrs. Nkechi Onyenso, CEO, Pathfinders International and Facilitator, Governance and Institutions Policy Commission (GIPC).
Setting the tone for discussion, Imoukhuede noted that the work of the GIPC was to leverage on what the Economic Summit does – create emphasis on government and institutional reforms. He stressed the need for Nigeria to strengthen its health structure in a way that it will be responsive to challenges and be accountable on all fronts.
He said, “All over the world, COVID-19 has drained resources of governments. Its impacts on people are far-reaching. It is great that African countries have benefited from the lowest infection rate. We give God the glory because our preparation for a more devastating attack would have found us wanton.
“Now, as we continue to do our best to tackle the pandemic, we must bear in mind that it is not what you deal within one year and you say you have stopped it. Experience has shown that serious pandemics are generational. So, fighting them is a marathon battle. Countries that deal with them well do so as a marathon battle. This is not what will go magically.”
Imoukhuede acknowledged the role the health industry and the private sector have played in global response. Without them, he said, the means to fight the battle would not have been there.
“The health industry and private sector have done well in terms of emergency. In out own situation, we acknowledge what hospitals and health workers have done. The private sector too, through the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), has done well. Now, the real issue borders on the need to come together to establish something more fundamental than the emergency structure. We have had social unrest along the line, which can be linked to the trauma of COVID-19. We have had recessions and there is more unemployment. The challenge now is how to establish a sustainable broad-based health structure because you can deal with the problems on an emergency basis till forever.”
Imoukhuede enjoined all to get involved, with technology coming at the centre of the gravity.
He added, “The ability to share information is important. The NCDC regularly has information on COVID, but socio-economic impacts and indices are not there. We have got to get our handle on socio-economic data, to be able to inform Nigeria on what is really happening and what is being done.
“In terms of engagement, more has to be done. Particularly, vulnurable groups too should be engaged well. In terms of technology and government, a deliberate strategy has to evolve, giving task to specific people in government. The Nigerian private sector, when it comes to dealing with the public, typically needs to be invited. So, government needs to draw them out, while better work should be done on accountability.
Adetayo also noted that the strain that COVID had put on government was extreme. She said the impact on the people was far reaching, especially with the third wave that had made the country’s confirmed cases and fatalities sharply increasing.
Adetayo said, “The COVID-19 experience has shown that it is vital for government to provide accurate information to people in time of crises. It will help everyone in making good decisions. But in terms of technology utilisation, government has failed to make use of digital tools. It should should make use of existing and new tech to soften impacts of the crises on lives of Nigerians.”
For Digbolu, what the pandemic presents as a problem harbours an opportunity for public and private sector collaboration beyond the present. He suggested cooperation in medical research and vaccine production.
He said, “Engagement should look closely at other areas of cooperation. There is the need to strengthen public service. Digitisation of government is now a necessity. Public service reform is crucial. There is the need to build trust and confidence between industry leaders and public sector. There is the need to boost manufacturing to engage larger populace.”
On his part, Soetan believes that gains have been made in terms of approach to work, digitaisation etc. Yet, he sees the need need to shore up the capability of the public sector to be able to respond to socio-economic challenges.
“The NCDC has done well and worked well with other sectors. COVID-19 has taught us of the need to be inclusive. There is the need for the public sector to move with speed, the type associated with the private sector. As stakeholders, there is the need to be proactive in making things happen,” he said.
While Meribule envisioned a civil service of the future as one built on professionalism, digitised system and with right ethics so that the private sector can work with them, Ofowe Aigh-Imokhuede highlighted efforts that the Aig-Imhoukuede Foundation and its subsidiary, Africa Initiative for Governance, has been making to strengthen the public sector. According to her, an MOU was signed in 2017 to support its reforms efforts.
The OHCSF-AIG partnership is committed to building capacity in public service delivery and has invested significantly in upskilling Nigeria’s civil servants. To date, 27 African Initiative for Governance scholarships has been awarded to outstanding individuals from Nigeria and Ghana to study at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University in the UK. Each of these graduates has come back to Nigeria to apply what they learned during their scholarships to work in public service.
This year, the African Initiative for Governance introduced the Public Leaders Programme that will train up to 100 civil servants a year, also through a Blavatnik School of Government curriculum, at £11, 500 per delegate, the project is a significant investment in upskilling the public sector leaders
“Our work shows what is possible,” she told attendees at the webinar. “However, public-private sector collaboration must be deliberate if it’s to be successful. I encourage the wider Nigerian private sector to reach out and engage and offer its skills, insights, and capability to the public sector in a spirit of true mutually enhancing partnership.
