Programmes | LGA Economic Forum

Programmes For The 2025 L.G.A Economic Forum

THEME: BACK TO THE BASICS: BUILDING THE ECONOMY FROM THE GRASSROOTS.

There is no gainsaying that if Nigeria’s economic development were anchored at the grassroots level where the majority of our estimated 200 million populace reside, the prevalence of poverty and related economic challenges would have been significantly minimised

Development at the grassroots level depends largely on strategically identifying specific sectors (and industrial segments) with competitive advantages to unleash economic opportunities and fast-track economic development in any given local government area or local government area cluster. This strategy must be anchored on locally developed technologies and locally available raw materials while taking into account the need to promote sustainability.

The key challenge is to get a buy-in of the relevant stakeholders across government, private sector and the civil society, so to gradually develop confidence in the third tier of government in the country. This entails changing the system and to make it a real catalyst for development instead of the present “business as usual.”

The LG Economic Forum 2025 will therefore be aimed at deconstructing age-old biases and mindsets toward Local Government system that have left our rural communities in abject poverty and neglect.

The various plenaries and panels will generate meaningful debates and discussions and provide applicable solutions and steps to make local government administrations agents of economic development.

The inaugural edition of the Forum is geared to herald a new dawn in the development of our grassroots and rural communities. It will showcase the way forward for the rapid development of our local governments as centers of economic growth, human capital development and good living standard. This portends a radical shift of what presently obtains and charts a path to sustainable development of the grassroots people. It would result in scenario whereby the young people in the rural areas would be gainfully engaged instead of moving to urban areas where they are mostly engaged in menial jobs or fleeing the country via desert and by sea.

Discussions at LGAEF #2025 will be anchored on 5 sub-themes:

Sustainable and inclusive industrial development
Eco-friendly economy
Transforming education and human development
Youth entrepreneurial development and job creation
Sustainable peace and security.

DAY 1

Welcome Statement

CHIEF CHARLES ANYIAM-OSIGWE
CHAIRMAN, LGA ECONOMIC FORUM ADVISORY COUNCIL

Opening Remarks

Nigeria’s Local Governments Current Scenario Presentation

Plenary 1

Livable Havens: Building Sustainable and Smart Cities at the Local Government Levels.

Promoting Public Private Partnerships with both domestic and foreign investors
Partnering with relevant Federal and State agencies to develop relevant infrastructural facilities
Setting up mini Central Business Districts with requisite facilities such as Shopping Malls, industrial parks, recreational facilities, mini stadia and ICT Centers in each local government area in a sustainable manner.

Tour of Exhibition Stands

Plenary 2

Promoting a Green Economy at the Grassroots.

This panel discussion examines how to promote a green economy and sustainability at the local government with focus on key sectors like energy agriculture, environment (including waste management), and renewable energy and smart grid solutions for enhanced access to energy and related infrastructural facilities.

Other eco-friendly matters like sustainable waste management, plastic waste and emerging issues especially the proposed ban on single-use plastic bags would be discussed with a view of enhancing awareness and exploring other viable alternatives.

Plenary 3

Education Is the Key.

Upgrading of the learning environment and making it conducive for learning in line with 21st Century knowledge-based economy.

Plenary 4

Security at the Grassroots: Challenges and Solutions.

The hydra headed security challenges of our nation is common knowledge and have grave concern to our citizens. This panel discussion is to examine steps that can be taken at the levels to begin to effectively address this grave menace.

Plenary 5

Agripreneuers – The Challenges and Opportunities for Youths in the Agriculture and the Agribusiness.

The Agricultural Sector can help in no small measure to begin to address the massive youth unemployment if youths are exposed to the opportunities and made to see agriculture and agric business as “hip”. The session would also explore how the youth and the rural dwellers could take advantages of emerging opportunities in the agricultural value chain.

Plenary 6

Enhancing The Role of Women to Ensure Food Security in Nigeria.

The women in our rural communities are mostly engaged in subsistence farming and the ones crisscrossing the length and breath of the country travelling on Mammy Wagons to market their produce. This panel discussion examines practical and implementable actions that can be taken to improve their productivity in all aspects across food value chain to impact the country’s food security positively.

Plenary 7

The Zero Oil Plan: The Role of Science and Innovation.

Climate change and the dawn of alternative energy options like electric vehicles will make crude oil obsolete in our lifetime. Taking the Zero Oil Plan as a guide what are the takeaways for grassroots implementation

Plenary 8

Grassroots Sports.

Target participants

Primary Schools
Secondary Schools

Local Government Athletics Championships

Local Government Football Championships

Local Government Swimming Championships

The competition would produce champions at different levels; state, regional and national levels. This would result in healthy competition and further integrating the country through sport and youth development.

Plenary 9

The Role of Regional Financial Institutions in Promoting Trade and Development at All levels of Governance.

Plenary 10

Understanding Islamic Banking Principles and Financing for Grassroots development.

This panel discussion explains the principles of Islamic banking and how it can be applied for grassroots development.

Plenary 11

The Role of Traditional Rulers in Holistic Grassroots Development.

Plenary 12

Giving Meaning and Participation – Impactful ICT at the Grassroots.

A great deal is being said and promoted as to how ICT is empowering and enabling “everyone”. Is this the case in reality?
How is ICT helping the rural community? This panel discussion examines how to give meaning and participation to the rural community in this age of a Digital Economy.

LGA ECONOMIC FORUM DINNER

Dinner Lecture:

“Grassroots Development: Making Every Citizen Count”

DAY 2

Plenary 1

Grassroots Creative Cooperatives and other Collective Schemes.

Developing the capacity of the grassroots people so as to organize them into effective platforms to enable them optimally harness their potentials. It would also result in unleashing entrepreneurial talents and opportunities among the rural dwellers. The panel would discuss the importance of formal organizations in accessing funding and technical service opportunities.

Plenary 2

Fit For Purpose: Preparing our Youths for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution builds on the Digital Revolution, representing new ways in which technology becomes embedded within societies and even the human body. Emerging technologies in fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and quantum computing marks it. This panel discussion examines the Fourth Industrial Revolution in relation to how our youths can be prepared to be a part of this revolution and not be sidelined.

Plenary 3

Viable Industries for Rural Communities.

This panel discussion examines the type of industries that can thrive in the rural communities and the role of banks in the support and growth of small and medium scale industries in rural communities.

Plenary 4

GrassRootsGrow Launch.

GrassrootsGrow is a crowd-funding platform for youths interested in farming in local governments to be engaged in profitable farming. Each local government will allocate a reasonable hectrerage of farmland for the project.

The farmland in each of the 774 LGA in Nigeria will be made ready for farming by youths interested in farming and funded via “crowdy” methods and oversight of the farmers and the farms from the LGA Farm Extension Agric units.

This is one of the projects the LGA Economic Forum will promote. LGA Economic Forum staff will administer the platform.

Plenary 5

Effective Primary Health Care and the Role of the LGA Administration, Pharmaceutical companies and Health Management Organisations (HMOs).

This panel discussion examines affordable health care for all in our rural communities.

Plenary 6

Innovative Use of Local Raw Materials for Economic Empowerment.

From the Bamboo Value Chain, pawpaw, sweet potato, orange peals, palm trees, etcetera, various locally available raw materials are x-rayed for their value chain for economic empowerment.

Plenary 7

Community Radio for Proper Enlightenment and Education

The radio is a powerful tool for enlightenment and education.

The proposed community radio should be private sector driven and owned to avoid its use for negative propaganda.

Plenary 8

Enhancing Water Supply through People Centered Engagement – The Senegalese Model

Plenary 9

Green, Green Grass of Home: The Grass is not Greener on the Other Side. Addressing the scourge of youth migration and human trafficking.

Plenary 10

Drug Abuse Among Our Youths. Effective Grassroots Interventions.

Plenary 11

Boosting Local Government Internally Generated Revenue Innovatively

Plenary 12

Plenary 12: Hope for the best but insure:. The role of insurance for effective grassroots development.

Closing Plenary

Good Governance at Local Governments – The Imperative for Grassroots Development.

This session will discuss the key elements of good governance and the imperative for grassroots development.

Host

ALGON

(Association of Local Governments of Nigeria)

Closing Address

Vote of Thanks