By Abdullahi Idris, Bauchi In a continued effort to improve the lives of ordinary citizens, particularly the less privileged, th...
By Abdullahi Idris, Bauchi
In a continued effort to improve the lives of ordinary citizens, particularly the less privileged, the Bauchi State Government, through the Office of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has launched an empowerment programme across the 20 local government areas of the state.
As part of the initiative, the agency distributed a total of ₦5.5 million in cash grants and 108 goats to 490 beneficiaries across the 20 LGAs to promote self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods.
Speaking during the distribution exercise, the Director-General of the Bauchi State SDGs Office, Mrs Lydia Shehu Gar, said the initiative marked a significant milestone in the ongoing empowerment of smallholder farmers in the state through the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), which is committed to driving sustainable development and prosperity.
According to her, other empowerment programmes already implemented include the training of SDGs desk officers, disbursement of cash support to farmers, distribution of goats, and provision of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, knapsack sprayers, and seedlings to numerous beneficiaries. She added that the profiling of smallholder farmers across all local government areas of the state is currently ongoing.
Mrs Gar explained that the empowerment exercise was designed to provide beneficiaries with tangible resources capable of transforming lives and communities.
“Today, we are empowering beneficiaries with tangible resources that can transform lives and communities. This initiative is part of broader efforts to support livelihoods, enhance food security, and promote economic resilience. I therefore urge beneficiaries to use these resources wisely, invest in their future, and contribute to the growth of their communities,” she said.
She noted that the programme is being implemented by the Bauchi State Government through the Office of the SDGs, in partnership with the African Union Development Agency and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), with the aim of strengthening smallholder farmers through agricultural value-chain support.
The director-general further disclosed that the empowerment programme involves the provision of cash grants and livestock support to selected beneficiaries, particularly the less privileged, to promote self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods.
According to her, 30 beneficiaries were selected from nine focus local government areas, while 20 beneficiaries were drawn from 11 non-focus LGAs for the intervention. She added that SDGs officials would closely monitor the programme to ensure sustainability.
She emphasised that beneficiaries who received goats were expected to rear them for multiplication rather than sell them, to enable more people benefit in the future, while those who received cash grants were encouraged to invest the funds in improving their respective businesses.
In separate remarks, some local government chairmen commended the SDGs office for the timely intervention and pledged to ensure effective monitoring and supervision at the grassroots level.
Some of the beneficiaries also expressed gratitude to the SDGs and AUDA-NEPAD for the gesture and promised to utilise the support judiciously in line with the objectives of the programme.
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