The Osun Government and that of the United States of America have agreed to hold a development and donor conference in support of Gov. Ademola Adeleke’s agenda for the state.
This is contained in a statement by Malam Olawale Rasheed, the spokesperson to the governor, on Saturday in Osogbo.
According to the statement, the conference, which also has in collaboration, a number of United Nations donor agencies, will enable the governor to present his development agenda to development partners, who are currently operating in Nigeria.
The statement quoted the governor as saying: “My goal is to match the developmental plan of my government with that of development partners.
“We will then build a synergy and an expanded inflow of development support for Osun state.
“Areas of specific interest that are already articulated for the conference include education, health, agro-industrial growth, youth and women development, digital economy, climate change agenda and green infrastructure.
“My team is working on the details,” the statement quoted the governor as saying.
The statement also quoted Mr Will Stevens, the U.S. Consul General in Lagos, as saying “the embassy is ready to support the initiative”.
Stevens said there is an existing development partners’ platform, which would be activated in pursuance of the conference.
Stevens said: “We are elated to be part of this initiative. We are prepared to support Gov. Adeleke to realise his developmental aspirations for Osun state.
“We have programmes in health, ICT, education, climate matters, gender development and green infrastructure.
“We are elated to support him on this commendable step”, the Consul General was said to have affirmed at a meeting in Osogbo, Osun state capital.
Also, the Chief of Staff to the governor, Kazeem Akinleye, who is coordinating the conference, described the programme as “a smart way to deliver on the government’s promises to the people of Osun.
“As Mr Governor has noted, we will submit our agenda to the partners.
“We will discuss the relationship between our plans and the agenda of the development partners.
“When we join hands, Osun will benefit greatly from this event. A special desk is working on this plan,” he said.
