The significance of states providing 10% counterpart financing to be eligible to participate in the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project has been highlighted by the federal government.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi made this statement at the opening session of the 8th RAAMP Implementation Support Mission, which took place in Abuja on Monday.
Abdullahi emphasised the vital role RAAMP plays in revolutionising rural agriculture by expanding market accessibility and strengthening infrastructure.
“RAAMP is already playing a critical role in addressing two of the priority areas identified by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration: boosting agriculture to achieve food security and enhancing infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth,” Abdullahi said.
The Federal Government has emphasised the importance of states committing 10 per cent counterpart funding to qualify for participation in the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project.
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Abdullahi underscored the crucial role RAAMP plays in transforming rural agriculture by improving access to markets and enhancing infrastructure.
“RAAMP is already playing a critical role in addressing two of the priority areas identified by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration: boosting agriculture to achieve food security and enhancing infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth,” Abdullahi said.
The scale-up initiative, which will cover all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, aims to construct 10,075 kilometres of roads, 1,040 metres of cross-drainage structures, and upgrade approximately 65 markets—a move expected to improve the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians.
The Project Manager from the French Development Agency, Sali Ibrahim, also spoke at the event, praising the opportunity for states to share their experiences and challenges.
“This is an opportunity to share experiences between different states that don’t usually have the same issues or the same context,” Ibrahim remarked.
She reiterated the AFD’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s agricultural sector, emphasising its continued collaboration with the World Bank.
The World Bank’s Task Team Lead for the project, Rakesh Tripathi, highlighted the significant progress made since its inception.
“Four years ago, when I looked at the SBIUs, I thought, everybody’s coming from different ministries… but where we were four years ago compared to where we are now, I think it is a huge improvement and achievement,” Tripathi stated, crediting the Honourable Minister for the programme’s success.
He also commended the Federal Government for its commitment to contributing 10 per cent of funding for the project’s future scale-up, adding, “It is always good to have a minister who is a leader of the programme.”
Director of the Project Coordinating Unit at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Bukar Musa, provided additional insight into the mission’s goals, explaining that it serves as an opportunity to assess achievements, challenges, and potential solutions.
Musa also mentioned the approval of an additional $500 million from the World Bank for the RAAMP scale-up.
