The World Bank has said that Ekiti State would soon join the list of states on the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) commencing in 2020.
Dropping the hints in Ado Ekiti when the World Bank team and the National office of RAAMP paid a visit to Ekiti, the World Bank Team Leader, Engr. Fahard Ahmed said with the level of preparedness of Ekiti State coupled with the robust relationship that exists between the World Bank and Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti was in a good position to join the project by January 2020.
Ahmed and his team noted they were particularly impressed with the magnificent settings of the Ekiti RAAMP office and the readiness of its staff to hit the ground running once the project agreement and all other modalities were completed between the World Bank and Ekiti State.
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He said Ekiti State was added to the list of other 22 states on the project because Governor Fayemi made a special request to the World Bank and the request was expressly accepted.
While welcoming the World Bank team, Ekiti State Governor, Dr Fayemi represented by the Senior Special Adviser on Road Transport and Infrastructure and the State Project Coordinator of RAAMP, Mr Sunday Adunmo thanked the World Bank for accepting to include Ekiti State on the project.
Adunmo revealed that the World Bank initiative when it begins would connect and upgrade about 200 Kms of Ekiti rural roads to the urban centres and market places across the state in its first phase.
According to Adunmo, the project would also provide easy transportation of farm produce to various markets in the state, thereby removing the pain and agony the rural farmers faced on a yearly basis.
“The initiative will also enable us to provide basic amenities at some abandoned farm settlements thereby encouraging our farmers in those areas to focus on their agricultural activities and better their living conditions,” Mr Adunmo said.
On the World Bank team is Engr. Fahard Ahmed, World Bank RAAMP Task Team Leader (TTL); Mr Shailendra Jha, ILO Representative, Engr. Aminu Mohammed, Representing the RAAMP National Coordinator and Mariam Chinda, National Project Secretary.
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