The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday said any government will fail without adopting proper strategic planning.
Ambode, who spoke at a two-day training for top civil servants, held at the NECA House, in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, said for any government to achieve success in governance and boost productivity that strategic planning is needed.
The governor said strategic planning allowed organisations to be proactive rather than reactive, saying that a strategic plan allowed organisations to predict their future and to get prepared for it.
‘Through strategic planning, organisations can anticipate certain unfavourable scenarios before they happen and take necessary precautions to avoid them. With a strong strategic plan, organizations can be proactive rather than merely reacting to situations as they arise. Being proactive allows organizations to keep up with the ever-changing trends in the society and always stay one step ahead of the competition’.
” Strategic planning sets up a sense of direction. A strategic plan helps to define the direction in which an organisation must travel, and aids in establishing realistic objectives and goals that are in line with the vision and mission charted out for it. A strategic plan offers a much-needed foundation from which an organisation can grow, evaluate its success, compensate its employees and establish boundaries for efficient decision-making,’’ he said.
Dr. Benson Oke, the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions who represented the governor, added that strategic planning increased operational efficiency, stressing that a strategic plan give the management the roadmap to carry out the organisation’s functional activities to achieve set goals, as well as guides management discussions and decision making in determining resource and budget requirements to accomplish set objectives, thus increasing operational efficiency.
In addition, Ambode said, “strategic planning helps to obtain valuable insights from the organisation’s stakeholders. Through a dedicated strategic plan, organisations can get valuable insights on stakeholders’ views as well as feedback on the organisation’s service offerings which may affect the organisation’s perception by the stakeholders”.
“Strategic planning can make an organisation more adaptive to changing times. Organisations are like living organisms. There are good times and there are bad times. Furthermore, there are constantly changing trends, public demands, stakeholders’ expectations, and service offerings. With a sound strategic plan in place, organisations are better suited to adapt to these changing trends, demands, expectations, and service offerings,” he said.
