Ogun earmarks N713 million counterpart funding for World Bank’s RAAMP project

THE Ogun State Government has earmarked the sum of N713 million as counterpart fund for the implementation of the World Bank assisted Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project in the State.

Ogun State Project Coordinator, Mr Samuel Onabanjo, who made this known while speaking with newsmen on the sideline of the World Bank Appraisal Mission on Project Appraisal Document (PAD), on Thursday in Abuja, said the project is implemented in collaboration with the Federal Government.

Onabanjo, disclosed that the World Bank and other donor agencies including International Bank for Reconstruction, have approved the sum of $60 million grant for implementation of the RAAMP project in Ogun State.

He added that project agreement would be signed at the end of the Abuja, which has provided opportunities for all the stakeholders to take the necessary look at the project appraisal document.

He noted that the project, which will soon commence in earnest, had been on for the last three years while modalities for effective implementation were being worked out by the relevant stakeholders.

He revealed that the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun had approved the sum of N344 million for last year’s commitment while the sum of N369 million has been approved as 2018 counterpart funding for the project expected to take off soon in the State.

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The Project Coordinator added the State Government has recruited staff and provided well-equipped office accommodation fitted with 20 KVA Generator and key officers ready for commencement of the project.

“The banks are here. We need to go through the document, compare notes to ensure that nothing is missing and we are not committing ourselves to something we do not know, that is why we are here,” he said.

He said the Federal Government was interested in the project not only to provide access to rural farmers but to eliminate post-harvest losses usually occasioned by lack of storage facilities and difficulties in getting their produce to the market since most the agricultural products are perishable.

He lamented that when the off-takers managed their ways to the rural areas, they force and intimidate the farmers to sell their crops at give-away prices because there was no other alternative.

He said the project was aimed at provision of storage facilities, processing centres and evacuation of the produce from primary to secondary and tertiary or for export as the case may be.

He added that the project was designed to encourage the farmers in order to have food surplus in the country, in line with the effort of the current administration to ensure food security in Nigeria.

He disclosed that 13 States across the Federation are participating in the project.

He noted that project was targeted at the construction of 500kms of roads connecting farmers to the agro-logistics hub and to the consumers.

“In the first project, we are going to construct 110kms of roads and by December, we are going to place an advert for that. In the second phase, we are going to have 90kms and another 50kms, which will be the rehabilitation of the existing roads,” he said.

He said the Ogun State government was committed to improving the social economic status of farmers in the State.