BY: IHEANACHO COLLINS
World Bank commits about $500 million to support the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of Nigeria’s Federal Government. The bank’s Fadama Task Team Leader, Dr. Abimbola Adubi, said the money would be spent on the provision of agricultural infrastructure for farmers across the country.
Dr. Adubi said that the World Bank decided to lend a hand of support to the transformation programme after a thorough assessment by a team of experts. He added that the global bank would spend additional $200 million on production on horticultural crops.
He said Kogi State is the only state to benefit from the bank’s cassava production support plan, noting that the state was the country’s largest producer of the crop, and that the programme is to create millions of job opportunity and to reduce the level of poverty in Nigeria. He said the bank expected the same level of commitment from the state government by ensuring prompt payment of its counterpart fund.
The Deputy Governor, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi, said the World Bank’s position confirmed the state government’s endorsement of the Federal Government’s transformation programme. He added that the state is blessed vast land and there will be development and provision of jobs for the youth and also make the state grow economically.
