By Awwal Umar Kontagora The Federal Government/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) Assessment Mission has commended Niger Stat...
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
The Federal Government/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) Assessment Mission has commended Niger State for its outstanding performance in implementing agricultural initiatives under the IFAD-supported project.
The commendation was made during a courtesy visit by the assessment team to the Niger State Governor at the Government House, Minna.
Speaking on behalf of the team, the Country Director of IFAD VCDP, Mrs. Dede Ekoue, lauded the transformation taking place in Niger State’s agricultural sector. She praised the commitment of Governor Umaru Bago—widely referred to as the "farmer governor"—for his unwavering support of smallholder farmers. According to her, the success recorded in the state has created ripple effects beyond Nigeria and even Africa.
Mrs. Ekoue emphasized that the achievements in Niger were made possible through the combined efforts of the state government, benefiting farmers, and the local business community. She noted that the program currently supports over 55,000 farmers and agro-processors in the state, a result that IFAD plans to build upon by increasing future investments in Nigeria.
The National Programme Coordinator, Dr. Fatima Aliyu, disclosed that the VCDP is being implemented in nine Local Government Areas across Niger State. She highlighted the intensive training of youths in agro-mechanization, agro-fabrication, and production, as well as refresher training sessions. Dr. Aliyu also revealed that Niger is among the pilot states developing financial products in partnership with financial institutions to provide loans for agro-processors.
She further noted that Niger is one of the flagship states of the VCDP and will benefit—alongside Kogi State—from a $3.5 million grant under the Agricultural Smallholder Adaptation Programme (ASAP), which supports climate change resilience. Of the two states, Niger will have 19,000 direct beneficiaries. The grant also includes training in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and efforts to expand financial inclusion.
Also speaking, the mission’s Technical Lead, Mrs. Adeline Muheebwa, said technical experts and consultants from eight countries are part of the team visiting Niger State to observe and learn from its remarkable achievements. She commended the strong political will and leadership of Governor Bago, which she said has been instrumental to the program’s success.
Permanent Secretary of the Niger State Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Mathew Ahmed, acknowledged the contributions of the IFAD VCDP over the past 11 years. He said the program has placed Niger State on the path to sustainable agricultural transformation.
Governor Umaru Bago, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, expressed appreciation to the IFAD mission team. He reiterated the state's commitment to working closely with IFAD and other development partners to create an enabling environment for agricultural development.
The governor affirmed that agriculture remains the foundation of the “New Niger Agenda” and assured the team that all counterpart funding obligations would be met to ensure even more farmers benefit from the program. He added that Niger State is ready to adopt all recommendations that will emerge from the mission’s assessment.
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