Policy Analysis and Governance Reform: Evaluating the National Development Plan 2021-2025

This study evaluates the design and early implementation of Nigeria's National Development Plan 2021 to 2025, assessing the adequacy of its policy frameworks, governance coordination mechanisms, and resource mobilisation strategies for achieving stated development objectives. National development planning in Nigeria has a troubled history, with successive plans failing to translate ambitious policy targets into tangible improvements in human welfare. Using a policy analysis research design, the study examines the plan's documentation, implementation progress reports, budgetary allocations across the first two years of the plan, and expert assessments from economists, governance specialists, and civil society organisations. The policy coherence framework and results-based management principles are applied to evaluate the plan's internal logic and implementation readiness. Findings indicate that while the National Development Plan represents an improvement over previous planning frameworks in its sectoral comprehensiveness and explicit linkage to the Sustainable Development Goals, critical weaknesses persist in intergovernmental coordination mechanisms, private sector mobilisation strategies, and the monitoring and evaluation architecture. Revenue projections embedded in the plan were based on optimistic assumptions that the government's own fiscal management record does not support. Recommendations include establishing an independent national development plan monitoring unit with public reporting obligations, revising revenue projections to reflect realistic fiscal scenarios, and institutionalising quarterly performance reviews that can trigger adaptive management responses. Keywords: National Development Plan, policy analysis, governance reform, development planning, Nigeria