Over 40,000 households reached through €10m EU-funded agric project ― Oxfam

Over 40,000 households in Taraba State have benefited from the €10 million EU Support to Food Security and Resilience in Taraba State Northern Nigeria (PROSELL Project).

The project PROSELL is targeted at building the resilience of 40,000 small-scale farmers, fishermen and livestock owners (50 per cent women, 30 per cent youth, and 20 per cent vulnerable households) in the commodity value chain and rural enterprise.

The project which was initiated in 2018, is fully funded by the European Union and implemented by Oxfam Nigeria.

Speaking during a year annual review meeting of the PROSELL Project, the Country Director of Oxfam in Nigeria, Dr Vincent Ahonsi said the project follows the success of Pro-Resilience Action (PROACT), a similar EU-funded, Oxfam-implemented project that reached over 35,000 households in Kebbi and Adamawa States.

“The Project has been strengthening the capacities of over 40,000 households who
rely on agriculture and other natural resource-based livelihoods through best practice
knowledge transfer, household/productive assets transfer, financial inclusion services, linkages to efficient market systems and social protection programs leading to an increase in productivity and improved well-being among the beneficiaries in the 80 rural communities.

“It is proven that the PROSELL project interventions have significantly contributed to improve food security across the communities as more food is produced for household consumption and for enhanced household income generation.

“The project has demonstrated that rural livelihoods can be greatly improved through a hybrid of approaches that aim at building capacities to optimize livelihood activities, facilitate rural financial inclusion, promote women’s economic empowerment, resuscitate moribund extension service delivery systems, and establish systems for consistent supply of timely and affordable agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers”, he stated.

Dr Ahonsi further stated that the past 4 years of PROSELL project have been the demonstration of possibilities of best practices in resilience-building programming towards achieving food security and early recovery for people affected by different types of disasters including climate change, COVID 19 and inflation.

“As we review the 4th year performance of the project, let this be an opportunity for us to rethink the fundamental importance of strengthening systems to build resilience and ensure quality, equitable, inclusive, and gender-sensitive food security”, he stated.

The Oxfam Country Director commended the Nigerian government for providing
enabling the environment to implement the projects and activities.

He also commended the European Union for funding the initiatives, and the Taraba State Government for support and uptake of the interventions.

The representative of the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Temitayo Omole said the basic outcome that they are looking forward to getting from this programme is that people are able to have access to food in Taraba State, that the systems and structures of government that are in place through the Ministry of Agriculture is strengthened in such a way that they are able to provide more services to support the people of Taraba State.

“The Governor of Taraba State visited the European Union Office with some commissioners and they made a presentation, and on the basis of that and the needs identified in Taraba state, the European Union decided to provide this support with a budget of 10 million Euros which is part of the EU Tax Payer Solidarity with Nigeria to ensure that wherever possible, we are able to make impact in the area food security, poverty alleviation and access to food.”

Omole who is also the Programme Manager, Social Sector and Community Development at the EU, said the funding from the EU is catalytic “it means we want to use this opportunity to demonstrate that there is a better way to plant maize, plant yam, make money and reduce poverty.

“We are particularly delighted to know that the government is contributing in terms of manpower, and their own support to the system to ensure that we succeed”, he noted.

He said the annual review is to enable the EU to see that they have given them the tools and everything they need as a people to be able to continue to drive this process.

“In a few months, I might be coming around to Taraba State to see things for myself physically that things are happening according to the report I get, because our standard of ensuring that things are working is to come to your local government and see people getting better in terms of finances, access to fund, improvement in the market, increase in production of crops”, he added.

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