OBJECTIVES  
EPAC’s mandate is to develop people’s requisite technical and analytical skills in development management; promote better understanding of government economic policies and enhance capacity to formulate, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate development policies and programmes. It also provides critical policy analysis on issues relating to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Its specific objectives include:

• Serving as policy laboratory to both public and private sectors on development issues through applied research;
• Building and strengthening people’s analytical and technical skills on development management;
• Promoting policy advocacy on economic empowerment and development issues;
• Communicating research finding to the stakeholders (target beneficiaries, civil societies, policy makers, donors) with a view to linking research into policy process; and
• Promoting effective programme participation, monitoring and evaluation.
  
  

VISION AND MISSION

• Vision
  To serve as a regional policy laboratory and a reputable capacity building institution on economic policy planning, analysis and management in Africa. To become a centre of excellence with full intellectual freedom that will lead to Africa’s economic transformation.
• Mission
  To build a critical mass of economic managers for efficient management of African economy through quality research and training, policy advocacy and programme evaluation.
  

ACTIVITIES AND STRATEGIES

In line with the objectives provided above, EPAC’s activities are primarily concerned with people and organizations having something to do with development or strategic planning, economic policy and investment analysis, and project planning and management.   The strategies for actualizing these goals are research, capacity building and consultancy. The specific activities to achieve the goals and objectives are:  

• Undertaking research in sectoral issues including economic, education, and public health;
• Providing consultancy services in its primary mandates;
• Conducting applied and operations research on social sector (health and education), economic and social protection phenomena;
• Designing, planning and provision of technical assistance on inclusive poverty reduction initiatives;
• Organizing and managing training programmes, workshops, and seminars on health reforms, policy advocacy and socio-economic empowerment issues; and
• Developing analytic frameworks to bring together development stakeholders to understand multi-sectoral approaches to policy reforms and development management.
  
  Specific Research Areas  
  
  
• Applied Socio-Economic Policy Research;
• Economic Analysis of Public Health Policies and Programmes;
• Pro Poor Development Policy Analysis;
• Health Policy Planning and Management;
• Planning and Management of Policy and Programme Reforms; and
• Monitoring and Evaluation of Health, Education and Economic Policies and Programmes.

SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS

• Impact Assessment of UNDP assisted microfinance projects in Nigeria (2006)
  Niger state poverty indicators (2006)
• Workshop on Transparency and Accountability in Financial and Expenditure Management, Office of the Auditor General for the Federation, Abuja (7-18 March 2005).
• Workshop on Basic Course in Financial Management for Staff of the Office of Auditor General, 15-19 August 2005.
• Performance Evaluation Audit of the Economic Management Capacity Building Project of the Federal Government – Awarded by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the World Bank, Abuja (2005).
• Fiscal and Debt Sustainability in the West African Monetary Zone – Awarded by the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), Accra, Ghana (2005).
• Workshop on “Best Practices in Poverty Alleviation Programme and Management”. Organised for the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), Abuja (November 2004). 
• Workshop on Strategic Project Monitoring; Organised for the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), Abuja, (29 November- 3rd December 2004).
• Top Level Workshop on Project Management for Permanent Secretaries and Directors in Ekiti State, December 2004.
  
  The Team of Consultants of EPAC have participated in many national and international research activities including:
  
• WIDER’s project on Designing Africa’s Poverty Strategies: Creating the Capacity for Policy Simulation. (2005)
• Institutional and Technical Capacity of States on HIV/AIDS Response, NACA, 2005;
  Total Quality Management and Performance Improvement Course for the Health System Fund Staff of Gombe State, June 2005.
• Work Ethics and Productivity Management for the Staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, July 2004.
• Awareness Creation and Policy Advocacy on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, NACA, 2004 to date.
• Drafting of the Integrated Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (IPRSP), Economic Policy Coordinating Committee (EPCC):  2002-2003;
• Poverty in a Globalizing Nigerian Economy: The Role of Rural Institutions,Foundation for Advanced Study on International Development (FASID), Japan, 2003
• Awareness Creation Among Secondary School Students in Nigeria, Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA, Nigeria, 2002);
• Condom Use Among Nigerian Men, Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA, Nigeria, 2000-01);
• Management of Change for all the staff of State House, Aso Rock,  Abuja, 2001
  
• National Capacity Assessment Survey in Nigeria, 1998/1999,
• Federal Republic of Nigeria; Situation Analysis of Women and Children in Zone B of Nigeria, UNICEF, 1998;
• People’s Vision of Development, UNDP, 1997;