The Federal Government has emphasised the importance of states committing 10 per cent counterpart funding to qualify for participation in the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, stated this during the opening session of the 8th RAAMP Implementation Support Mission held in Abuja on Monday.
Abdullahi underscored the crucial role RAAMP plays in transforming rural agriculture by improving access to markets and enhancing infrastructure.
“RAAMP is already playing a critical role in addressing two of the priority areas identified by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration: boosting agriculture to achieve food security and enhancing infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth,” Abdullahi said.
In line with this vision, the Minister outlined the conditions for states seeking to participate in the scale-up project, noting that they must “irrevocably commit to a 10 per cent counterpart fund for the agencies.”
He also stressed that states must establish the Rural Access Road Authority and the State Road Fund by law, provide functional office accommodations, and deposit seed funds for the agencies.
“States that meet these minimum eligibility criteria will receive a US$30 million allocation, which must be disbursed within two years of effectiveness,” he added.
The scale-up initiative, which will cover all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, aims to construct 10,075 kilometres of roads, 1,040 metres of cross-drainage structures, and upgrade approximately 65 markets—a move expected to improve the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians.
The Project Manager from the French Development Agency, Sali Ibrahim, also spoke at the event, praising the opportunity for states to share their experiences and challenges.
“This is an opportunity to share experiences between different states that don’t usually have the same issues or the same context,” Ibrahim remarked.
She reiterated the AFD’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s agricultural sector, emphasising its continued collaboration with the World Bank.
The World Bank’s Task Team Lead for the project, Rakesh Tripathi, highlighted the significant progress made since its inception.
“Four years ago, when I looked at the SBIUs, I thought, everybody’s coming from different ministries… but where we were four years ago compared to where we are now, I think it is a huge improvement and achievement,” Tripathi stated, crediting the Honourable Minister for the programme’s success.
He also commended the Federal Government for its commitment to contributing 10 per cent of funding for the project’s future scale-up, adding, “It is always good to have a minister who is a leader of the programme.”
Director of the Project Coordinating Unit at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Bukar Musa, provided additional insight into the mission’s goals, explaining that it serves as an opportunity to assess achievements, challenges, and potential solutions.
Musa also mentioned the approval of an additional $500 million from the World Bank for the RAAMP scale-up.
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