Lagos urges MDAs to align policies with Development Plan 2052
Lagos, Sept. 2026 (TBL Africa) The Lagos State Government has urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to align their policies and programmes with the Lagos State Development Plan 2052.
Dr Oladele Oyatope, Head, Policy Analysis, Monitoring and Evaluation (PAME) Department, Cabinet Office, made the call on Thursday in Ikeja.
He spoke at a Policy Engagement Session with MDAs, focusing on health and environment, the second pillar of the administration’s THEMES Plus agenda.
Oyatope said the development plan should guide government interventions and provide measurable targets for assessing progress.
He said the plan embodied Lagos’ long-term vision of creating a human-centric city with affordable, world-class education, healthcare and social services.
According to him, public servants must understand their roles in delivering the promises contained in the development plan.
He described public policy as an instrument through which government articulates what it wants to achieve and how it intends to achieve it.
Oyatope said the plan contained 21 focus areas, with healthcare identified as Focus Area 10.
He said the healthcare component sought to provide high-quality, affordable and accessible healthcare for residents.
He added that the plan also sought to position Lagos among Africa’s top five medical tourism destinations.
Oyatope said achieving the objectives required government agencies to develop appropriate policies and strategies and establish indicators for measuring progress.
He cited social health insurance as one strategy for achieving affordable healthcare, but questioned whether a comprehensive policy document clearly outlined its provisions and benefits.
He said Lagos had domesticated the national social health insurance law alongside various regulatory and operational documents.
However, Oyatope said there was a need to distinguish those documents from a comprehensive policy document accessible to the public.
He said information published separately on agencies’ websites was useful but did not necessarily constitute a single, comprehensive policy document.
According to him, agencies should consolidate relevant provisions into documents explaining their policies, objectives, benefits, requirements and implementation strategies.
“Maybe by the time we finish, your agency will be advising that you pull all of those bits and pieces together,” he said.
Oyatope said gazetting was one avenue for making approved policies formally available to the public.
He added that government could also publish policies through official websites and other appropriate channels.
The PAME head encouraged public servants to obtain and familiarise themselves with the Lagos State Development Plan 2052, which is available online.
He recalled that the first Lagos State Development Plan covered 2012 to 2025 before its review in 2022.
He said the review produced the 30-year development plan covering 2022 to 2052.
Oyatope said every government programme should be traceable to the goals and objectives contained in the development plan.
“If you are doing anything that cannot be traced to that plan, what it means is that you are going outside the boundary of your plan,” he said.
He explained that the plan contained goals, targets and indicators designed to measure achievement and progress toward the state’s long-term objectives.
Oyatope also highlighted modern infrastructure and effective governance among the aspirations contained in the development plan.
He said Lagos was expected to provide reliable infrastructure meeting 21st-century needs and create opportunities for all residents.
On good governance, Oyatope identified public service management, public financial management, and policy and strategy development as key areas requiring attention.
He said public service management should be effective and efficient, while public financial management should promote accountability and transparency.
Oyatope explained that effectiveness involved achieving intended objectives, while efficiency involved achieving them with appropriate and limited use of available resources.
He said public policy was a government plan or course of action intended to influence decisions and actions relating to governance.
Oyatope said policies should be backed by strategies for achieving specific objectives and should not be confused with mere statements of government intention.
According to him, policy formulation involves identifying problems, defining desired outcomes, developing strategies and identifying implementation actors.
He added that the process also required documenting the policy framework and periodically reviewing it to reflect current realities.
Oyatoope said monitoring and evaluation were essential for determining whether policies and development roadmaps were producing desired results.
He urged public servants to view policy development as a practical tool for translating government’s vision into programmes and actions.
He said such programmes should ultimately deliver measurable improvements in the lives of Lagos residents.
