The federal government has inaugurated five national steering committees for donor-funded projects implemented by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The projects are designed to enhance food security, create jobs and diversify the economy.

The committees will work on Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project (APPEALS), and Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase-One (ATASP-1).

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mohammad Abubakar said the inauguration o Thursday marked a significant milestone in implementing development partners’ support projects in the agricultural sector.

“It is pertinent to note that the collaboration and partnership with the donors have yielded remarkable results in the development of agri-business hubs in Nigeria,” explained Mr Abubakar. “This is so significant in the area of provision of food security, job creation, youth empowerment, rural development and economic diversification, especially now that the country is facing an unprecedented high cost of food items. The mandates food security, job creation, import substitution and economic diversification.”

The minister noted that the projects had been without steering committees over the years, thus making it difficult to track their performance effectively.

Steering committees for FGN/IFAD projects, including Value Chain Development Projects (VCDP), Livelihood Improvement and Family Support Enterprise (LIFE-ND), and Climate Change Adaptation and Agribusiness Support Programme, were inaugurated in 2021.

The ATASP-1 has the minister as chairman, leading 13 members; the RAAMP has 17 members with the minister as chairman, while APPEALS has 20 members with the minister also as the chairman.

FGN/IFAD –VCDP has 26 members with the minister as chairman, and FGN/IFAD –LIFE-ND has 18 members with the minister also as chairman.

(NAN)