The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has organised a training workshop to reinforce the capacity of its funded projects in West and Central Africa on practical implementation of its reforms and utilisation of donor funds.
The Country Director of IFAD, Mrs Dede Ekoue in her remarks, said the contribution of IFAD to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends primarily on the successful implementation of IFAD-funded projects and programs.
She said the Financial Services Management Division (FMD) regularly organizes training and exchange Sessions (face-to-face and remote) with the project fiduciary teams in order to provide effective and sustainable support for the financed projects.
“The primary objectives of the workshop are to discuss the practical implementation of the reforms (specifically the Interim Financial Report and disbursements); Train projects on the Use of the Financial Execution (FE) module of the IFAD Client Portal (ICP) for submitting financial reports and linking to Was; strengthen understanding of lFAD’s fiduciary management procedures; discuss key FMD-WCA themes and Issues identify obstacles encountered during project implementation and propose solutions to these obstacles.
Mrs Ekoue further stated that the current portfolio of IFAD’S West Africa and Central Africa Region consists of 62 programs in 23 countries with a total financing amount of approximately USD 4 billion, of which IFAD contributes approximately USD 1.9 billion.
Tatah Austin, the Regional Financial Management Officer of IFAD said IFAD has introduced a lot of reforms, especially with regards to disbursement over the past years, and the workshop is an opportunity for them to reinforce the capacity of the project in order to optimize these reforms and embed them in their financial management system so as to improve and ensure seamless disbursement for the project.
“IFAD is moving from a transactional based approach to analytical based approach with regards to how we analyze and provide disbursement to the project. So these reforms are based principally in terms of ensuring that the projects understand these reforms and also they are able to embed these reforms for the purpose of improving disbursement for their project,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Ernest Umakhihe who was represented by a Director at the Ministry, Mr Taminu Ibrahim commended IFAD for its continuous support and partnership for the government of Nigeria in advancing agriculture in Nigeria and Africa.
“As you all know, West African and Central Africa is a region of great diversity of potentials but also of great challenges and opportunities.
“The region is home for about 400 million people of whom about 60 per cent live in the rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Agriculture is also the key contributor to the region’s economic growth, trade and food security”, he said.
Dr Umakhihe said the region is however faced by many constraints such as climate change, conflict, instability, poverty, inequality, malnutrition and diseases.
These challenges, according to him, require concerted and coordinated efforts from all the stakeholders including government, regional organizations, development partners, civil societies and private sector.
“This is why our ministry has actively engaged in supporting the implementation of a regional strategic framework for agricultural transformation in West and Central Africa which was endorsed by the Head of States and governments of ECOWAS, ECCS and UEMOA in 2016,”he said.
The workshop will also provide avenue for participants to enhance their knowledge on efficiency and effectiveness in utilizing donor funding and demonstrating value for money for taxpayers money of countries that contribute to IFAD.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
As of Saturday afternoon, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
"Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe remains one of Nigeria’s most respected traditional rulers, known for blending the…
I urge all stakeholders to ensure that the Academy maintains high educational standards and remains…
The next big shift in blockchain could finally fix the flaws that earlier coins left…
He said, “The South West has long been the bedrock of politics in Nigeria, but…
The Governor encouraged Jibrin to think creatively about his plans for the council so that,…
This website uses cookies.
