The Nation Newspaper

Tag: world bank

  • World Bank, FG empower 600 women, young farmers in Cross River

    SIX hundred women and youths trained under the World Bank/Federal Government assisted Commercial Agricultural Development Project (CADP) in Cross River State, are to be empowered to become entrepreneurs in the various agricultural enterprises. The Commercial Agriculture Development Project is a World Bank initiative with the objective of increasing agricultural production and facilitate access to markets for the targeted value chains of oil-palm, cocoa, rice aquaculture and poultry. Speaking at a workshop in Calabar, the State Coordinator of the project represented by the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mr. Nyambi Inyang, said Governor Ben Ayade ‘’has already graciously granted approval for the empowerment of all the 600 beneficiaries under this programme.

    ‘’We are by this workshop initiating an interface between the service providers and beneficiaries in cocoa, oil palm, rice, poultry and aquaculture value chains. It is intended to facilitate commencement of the empowerment process for our 600 energetic women and youths who have been trained to become entrepreneurs with the capacity to be employers of labour, rather than job seekers.” He said the Cross River CADP Women and Youth Empowerment Programme began with the training and empowerment of the first batch of 100 women and youths in the value chain of oil palm, rice, aquaculture and poultry. He said the current batches were the second and third.

    The training of the second and third batches of benefitting women and youths of the CADP took place from November 25 to December 20 at Songhai Farms at Itigidi and agricultural business park and farms. The 600 women and youths were trained across the value chains of oil-palm, cocoa, rice, poultry and aqua-culture. He pointed out that so far, for the second and third batches, about 515 businesses have been registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with certificates obtained; 494 investment plans (IPs) have been sent to the World Bank for approvals and 155 approvals have been received from the World Bank and beneficiaries on the verge of opening accounts for deposits of their grants for their various interventions. “As you are aware, the Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP) was developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) in collaboration with the World Bank and other stakeholders in response to Federal Government of Nigeria’s quest for private sector intervention to develop agricultural value chains and accelerate agricultural growth.

    “The project was approved by the World Bank on January 15, 2009, but became effective on July 30, 2009 and was expected to close on December 31, 2014. However, following the request by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the World Bank approved the restructuring of the project to better align it with the Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) and to speed up project implementation and disbursements with strategic focus on supporting the commodity marketing corporations, sharpening of focus on the most profitable value chains for new investors, supporting the establishment of aggregation centres, address post-harvest management issues and most significantly, Youth and Women Empowerment in terms of capacity building in entrepreneurship and support to initiate businesses along the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development’s Youth Employment in Agriculture Program (YEAP),” he said. The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof. Anthony Eneji, was grateful that by the performance indictor reports of the programme so far there is a 30 per cent increase in total sales of agricultural products under the targeted value chains of cocoa, oil palm and rice among participating small and medium scale commercial cocoa, oil palm and rice farmers. He pledged the state government’s continued support for the programme.

  • Kwara seeks $162m partnership with World Bank

    The Kwara State government is seeking a $162 million partnership with the World Bank to bridge infrastructure gap.

    The partnership was presented to the World Bank team yesterday in Abuja by Director General, Kwara State office of Public, Private Partnership (KP3), Yomi Ogunsola, when Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed visited the World Bank’s headquarters in Abuja.

    Ogunsola said the partnership proposal included International Vocational, Technical and Entrepreneurship College (IVTEC), 30-to-one class secondary school renovation, state wide health scheme, water accessibility and Artisan Mining Light Processing Hub.

    Others are Light-Up-Kwara, Data-Driven Medium and Large Scale Agriculture, MSME Financial Inclusion, among others.

    Governor Ahmed, who thanked the World Bank for prevous interventions, said he was at the Bank’s headquarters to explore other areas of partnership, especially as they affect the most vulnerable groups.

    “I’m not more concerned between now and 2019, but about what happens after 2019 when I leave office. I want to bequeath a state on auto-run in all phases of human developments to those coming after me,” Ahmed said.

    World Bank’s Country Director Rachid Benmessaoud thanked Ahmed and his team for the visit, and promised to look into areas of partnership with the state when the current country projects are being reviewed.

    According to him, most of the projects in the country are executed in synergy with the Federal Government through the Ministry of Finance.

  • World Bank lauds Plateau farmers

    World Bank lauds Plateau farmers

    FADAMA farmers in Plateau State have been lauded for independently setting up the first microfinance bank owned by farmers in Nigeria.
    National Project Coordinator Mr. Tayo Adewunmi spoke at the opening of the FADAMA Farmers’ Microfinance Bank in Jos, Plateau State capital.
    Adewunmi, who conveyed the appreciation of the World Bank and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to the farmers, described it as “a major feat, one of its kind in Nigeria and second to that of Kenya in Africa, where a bank is owned 100 per cent by farmers.”
    He described it further as a “legacy that will outlive the project and facilitate farmers’ access to funds at low interest rate to enable them meet their farming and other needs. The World Bank is aware of this achievement and is happy about it”.
    Adewunmi hailed the state government for supporting the farmers and requested a partnership between the state and FADAMA Microfinance Bank for patronage to boost its business for sustainability of the gains already recorded.

  • Ogun to partner World Bank, ADB on 500km road projects

    Ogun to partner World Bank, ADB on 500km road projects

    The Ogun government, in collaboration with the World Bank and the Africa Development Bank (ADB), has concluded arrangement to construct 500 kilometres of rural roads to enhance social -economic activities in the state.

    Gov.  Ibikunle Amosun disclosed this on Thursday at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Oba’s complex, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.

    According to the governor, the construction will be carried out under the third phase of the Ogun Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP).

    Amosun explained that the roads would cut across all the 20 local government councils and the newly created 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the state.

    He noted that the project would enhance agricultural development by easing movement of agricultural produce across the state.

    Amosun stated that the project would be handled by local contractors in the affected areas so as to empower artisans and other sub-contractors in the state.

    The World Bank consultant for RAMP, Dr Emmanuel Adeyemo, said the roads involved were carefully selected based on certain “universal criteria” set by the donor agencies.

    “The criteria for selecting the roads include linkage to either a local market, hospital or school or the combination of the three.

    “In addition, such roads must link a state or a federal road,” he said.

    Adeyemo, who commended the state government for its cooperation, said the project would be executed in phases and in tune with international standard.

    In his remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Development, Mr. Wale Ogunyomade, said effective monitoring mechanism had been put in place to ensure quality job by contractors.

    He further said that the government would ensure effective maintenance of the roads through collaboration with stakeholders in the affected communities.

    The meeting was attended by traditional rulers, local chiefs, leaders of community development associations, local government officials and representatives of various Non Governmental Organisations.

     

  • North East on the brink of famine – World Bank

    The World Bank on Tuesday warned of imminent famine and food shortage in the North East.

    The World Bank Country Director, Rachid Benmessaoud, gave the warning at the dashboard launch of Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative (PCNI) in Abuja.

    Benmessaoud said the bank will focus its $775 million intervention on problems relating to health, education, social protection and livelihood deficits.

    He said, “North East Nigeria is currently faced with a confluence of humanitarian development and security related crisis, a situation which calls for strengthened humanitarian development and security collaboration to deliver a comprehensive and strategic response across the short-medium and long term.

    “The World Bank’s $775-million financial support to the North East Nigeria focuses on addressing service delivery gaps in health, education, social protection, livelihood deficit, youth unemployment and social cohesion issues created by the protracted crisis.  The North East is also facing a credible risk of famine and food scarcity which is amplified by the conflict.”

    The bank restated its commitment to support humanitarian organisations to achieving the goal of addressing immediate needs of the people and providing long-term socio-economic solutions.

    The PCNI Chairman, Mohammed Danjuma, said about N1 billion has been spent on the north east reconstruction project.

    He added that about N7 billion was still needed for the entire rehabilitation project.

  • 12 States to benefit from World Bank $500m rural roads project

    12 States to benefit from World Bank $500m rural roads project

    About 12 States in the country will benefit from new $500 million loan facility from the World Bank for rural road construction, the National Coordinator, Rural Access Mobility Project (RAMP), Engr. Ularamu Ubandoma has said.

    He said the rural roads construction project is expected to increase farmers’ access to farm inputs and markets, thus reducing post-harvest losses.

    Ubandoma disclosed this Thursday during a workshop organised by RAMP, Federal Project Monitoring Unit, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in Abuja.

    The loan is such that participating State Governments will pay 5 per cent counterpart funding while the Federal Government is to make 95 per cent refund.

    Ubandoma said: “This RAMP project is something that will transform the lives of rural people. All the States in the Federation are qualified, especially non-RAMP states including Federal Capital Territory (FCT). But we are looking at possibility of absorbing 10-12 states in this RAMP 3.

    “That is the essence of this workshop to discuss selection criteria for participation so that each state can go back and make final submission to the FPMU, which will now analyse it and submit to the World Bank.”

    He explained that considering success recorded in RAMP 1 and 2 projects in Kaduna and Cross River states respectively, more states have indicated interest to partake in the project.

    He said about 1, 000 kilometers of rural roads and 143 river crossings were constructed in RAMP 1 while 2, 000 kilometers of rural roads are targeted for RAMP 2 with 80 river crossings.

    Earlier, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri described the initiative as vital to achieving federal government food sufficiency plan.

    Lokpobiri said the nation’s population had been increasing at significant rate such that by 2020, Nigeria’s population may hit 200 million and role of rural farmers are imperative to meet the population food demand.

    “My position is predicated not only on our day to day experiences as people who come from villages but also from research and other empirical evidences carried out by our development partners. Available records suggest that about 70 per cent of the about 193 million Nigerians whose only means of livelihood is agriculture reside in the rural areas. Out of this number, only less than half of them live less than 2km away from an all season road,” he said.

    The Minister explained that the RAMP project was capable of reducing poverty, post-harvest losses as well as rural urban migration.

    He restated that if the country must achieve food surplus and do exports, concerted efforts should be given to supporting the rural dwellers, especially in area of road constructions and maintenance.

    The World Bank representative, Mr. Tunji Ahmed identified need for State governments to partake in the project, as it helps to develop road infrastructure in most rural communities.

    Ahmed said over 18 states are ready to benefit from the project, thus the World Bank was willing to roll out the loan facility.

    “If we dedicate more than half of the budget to the road, it is not too much because more than half of Nigeria’s population lives in these areas and this same population contributes to the economy,” he added.

     

     

  • World Bank approves $200m agric-credit to Nigeria

    The World Bank has approved a $200 million credit facility to further support Nigeria, in its efforts to enhance agricultural productivity of small and medium scale farmers.

    In a statement on Friday in Abuja, The Word Bank Country Director, Mr. Rachid Benmessaoud, said the loan was in recognition of agriculture as the key to long-term economic growth and diversification.

    He said the credit was being financed from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group’s grant and low-interest arm.

    He said it will be on standard IDA terms, with a maturity of 25 years, including a grace period of five years.

    Benmessaoud said the project will tackle the key constraints of the Nigeria agriculture sector, such as low productivity, lack of seed funds for establishing agro-processing plants and lack of access to supportive infrastructure.

    The World Bank official said it will also solve the problems of low level technology and limited access to markets.

    “The project supports the country policy thrusts on food security, local production, job creation and economic diversification,” Benmessaoud said.

    “It also responds to the recurring issues of low productivity, limited farmers’ participation to agribusiness supply chains, and institutional realignment in the agricultural sector.

    “The project will help increase agricultural productivity and production, improve processing and marketing, foster job creation, and increase household income and livelihood in participating states.”

    NAN

     

  • World Bank extends project duration in Delta

    World Bank extends project duration in Delta

    The State Employment and Expenditure for Results Project (SEEFOR), an interventionist project of the World Bank and European Union (EU), has extended activities in Delta State by two years.
    Project Coordinator Mr. Benson Ojoko told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba the extension was to make up for the two years of delay in the beginning of the programme, noting that it took off in 2013 instead of 2011.
    He said: “Knowing that the delay will affect the achievement of the objectives of the programme, the sponsors saw the need to extend the project by two years.
    “It is also because most of the states implementing the project have said if given further opportunity, they will employ more people than the number originally targeted.’’
    Ojoko added that the extension was because the EU provided complementary financing to the original project as conceived by the World Bank.
    He said the financing was a non-repayable grant, adding that it was meant to help realise the objectives of the SEEFOR programme.
    The coordinator said the extension of the programme would help the state deliver on the key performance indicator assigned to it.
    NAN reports that in Delta, SEEFOR has carried out road maintenance, refuse collection and disposal.

  • World Bank extends project duration in Delta

    World Bank extends project duration in Delta

    The State Employment and Expenditure for Results Project (SEEFOR), an interventionist project of the World Bank and European Union (EU), has extended activities in Delta State by two years.

    Project Coordinator Mr. Benson Ojoko told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba the extension was to make up for the two years of delay in the beginning of the programme, noting that it took off in 2013 instead of 2011.

    He said: “Knowing that the delay will affect the achievement of the objectives of the programme, the sponsors saw the need to extend the project by two years.

    “It is also because most of the states  implementing the project have said if given further opportunity, they will employ more people than the number originally targeted.’’

    Ojoko added that the extension was because the EU provided complementary financing to the original project as conceived by the World Bank.

    He said the financing was a non-repayable grant, adding that it was meant to help realise the objectives of the SEEFOR programme.

    The coordinator said the extension of the programme would help the state deliver on the key performance indicator assigned to it.

    NAN reports that in Delta, SEEFOR has carried out road maintenance, refuse collection and disposal.

  • World Bank: Nigeria must create 40m jobs by 2030

    World Bank: Nigeria must create 40m jobs by 2030

    • Ambode advises APC SSGs on responsive governance

    Nigeria must create about 40 million jobs by 2030 to enable her recover from the present economic recession, the World Bank Group, has said.

    Its Country Manager, Mrs. Eme Essien Lore, who spoke yesterday in Lagos at the inaugural meeting of Secretaries to State Governments (SSGs) of APC States, in Alausa, Ikeja, however said the bulk of the jobs will come from the public sector.

    She stressed the need for government at all levels to streamline policies so as to create enabling environment for the growth of the private sector.

    She said these jobs must be productive and produce higher income than what is obtainable in the labour market today, stressing that if properly handled, it will reduce and tackle social unrest.

    “When we look at the need for job creation, what we checked was the number of young people entering the work force annually. And when we examine the number and look at Nigeria’s population today, we realised that Nigeria is a very young country, adding many more young people to the job market than any other African country.

    “The country population is growing fast and in it is estimated to have the third largest population behind India and China in few years. Due to that, the country will need to create huge number of jobs to correspond with the population,” Lore said.

    She said the World Bank is also looking at the economic recovery plan launched by the Federal Government of Nigeria, and will align its objective with the plan.

    While inaugurating the forum,  Governor Akinwumi Ambode, urged the SSGs on the need to be committed to the vision of their various governments by providing accountable, responsible and responsive leadership to the people.

    Represented by his Deputy, Mrs Oluranti Adebule, he said despite the dire financial and logistical straits confronting states as a result of the declining growth in the economy, the burden rests on government to devise ingenious ways and means of meeting the expectations of the people.