Good Governance and Economic Development: A Study of Selected Federal Ministries of Nigeria

Abstract

Good governance is widely recognized as a critical determinant of sustainable economic development, particularly in developing countries where institutional effectiveness shapes policy implementation and public service delivery. This study examines the relationship between good governance and economic development in Nigeria, drawing institutional evidence from selected federal ministries responsible for economic planning, fiscal management, infrastructure development, industrialization, and agricultural development.The study adopted a qualitative documentary research design and relied exclusively on secondary data obtained from official government publications, reports of international development organizations, policy documents, and peer-reviewed scholarly literature. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis to identify recurring patterns and explain the nexus between governance practices and economic development. The findings revealed that while recent governance reforms have improved fiscal transparency, public financial management, and institutional accountability in some sectors, persistent weaknesses in policy implementation, bureaucratic inefficiency, corruption, limited institutional capacity, and weak inter-agency coordination continue to undermine sustainable economic development. The study concludes that strengthening governance institutions is fundamental to improving public sector performance and achieving inclusive and sustainable economic development in Nigeria. It recommends deepening institutional reforms, strengthening accountability and transparency mechanisms, enhancing administrative capacity, improving monitoring and evaluation systems, and fostering inter-ministerial coordination to improve policy implementation and development outcomes.