By Khalid Idris Doya The federal government has commended Bauchi State Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, for the effective i...
By Khalid Idris Doya
The federal government has commended Bauchi State Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, for the effective implementation of the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).
The national coordinator of RAAMP, Engr. Aminu Bodinga Mohammed, attributed Bauchi's impressive performance to the governor's exemplary leadership and Nigeria's commitment to improving rural mobility, agricultural marketing, and livelihoods for millions of rural citizens.
Represented by the national monitoring and evaluation officer, Mr. Chinedu Olisah, the coordinator spoke on Monday during the flag-off of Phase II of the RAAMP project in Bauchi, where he praised Governor Bala’s "Remarkable leadership and strong commitment to the rural roads vision."
"On Monday and Tuesday, we will gather at 12 project locations to officially flag off Phase II of Bauchi's rural roads infrastructure totaling 203 kilometers. This is a demonstration of Bauchi State's leadership and Nigeria's commitment to improving rural mobility and marketing linkages for millions of rural citizens," he stated.
Engr. Bodinga noted that under Governor Bala administration, Bauchi State has disbursed over N6 billion as counterpart funding for RAAMP, one of the highest contributions nationwide.
He added that the state has established a functional rural roads agency, inaugurated its board, appointed a Director General, and provided one of the best office accommodations for the institution.
According to him, these achievements firmly place Bauchi among the top-performing states in institutional readiness and effective implementation of the RAAMP project across the federation.
He further commended the Bauchi State Government for promptly meeting its funding obligations, making it one of the best performers among the 19 participating states.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Rural Development and Special Duties, Hon. Farouk Mustapha, recalled that in September 2023, Governor Bala Mohammed launched the pilot phase of RAAMP with the inauguration of the 19km Luda-Lekka road.
Supported by the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD), RAAMP is jointly implemented by the federal government and participating states, including Bauchi.
The project aims to improve rural access and agricultural marketing while strengthening the institutional and financial frameworks for sustainable rural road development.
Hon. Mustapha said improved rural access would boost agricultural potential, expand market opportunities, and enhance livelihoods for rural communities in Bauchi State and across Nigeria.
He noted that in August 2024, five new rural roads totaling 115km were inaugurated, most of which have reached appreciable completion levels.
He added that Phase II, currently being flagged off, covers 203.47km across 12 rural roads, and includes plans to establish agro-logistics markets across the three senatorial districts to support agricultural value chains.
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