AGRA collaborates with Nasarawa govt, to improve food production

By Tom Okpe

A group in Nasarawa State, Alliance for Green Revolution, AGRA, and Nasarawa State Government, commenced a two-day stakeholders’ training on planning, budgeting, coordination and implementation of agricultural programmes, aimed at improving food production in the State.

Alhaji Umaru Abdullahi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, declared the workshop open on Monday in Lafia, charging participants to make judicious use of the opportunity to participate actively, in order to achieve desired objective.

In his remarks, Ibrahim Abdullahi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Nasarawa State Investment and Development Agency, NASIDA, said the capacity building programme was part of the implementation of AGRA and Nasarawa State Capability for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation Project.

Abdullahi said: “The project, funded with $370,000 grant from AGRA, was being implemented by the State Ministry of Agriculture, with support from NASIDA and Nasarawa Agricultural Development Programme, NADP.”

READ ALSO: Nigeria signs $3million Kebbi Cement Plant deal, 45,000 jobs to be created

According to Abdullahi, the project is an opportunity to unlock the agricultural potentials of Nasarawa State to create wealth for the people, noting that; “the training would enhance understanding of participants in the areas of planning, budgeting, coordination and implementation processes in agricultural programmes in the State.

The NASIDA boss also said the training aims to equip participants with practical skills and tools for effective programme management, and as well, promote the culture of transparency, accountability and efficiency in agricultural programmes.

“The goal of the project is to improve agriculture value chain and entire food system, array of participants from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, and other stakeholders working to ensure agricultural transformation in the State, ” he said.

In his remarks, Kenneth Ode, Project Manager, AGRA-Nassrawa State Inclusive Agriculture Transformation project, urged participant to give the training, required attention it deserved, in order to effectively, impact the food system in the State.

He pointed that the knowledge gained from the workshop would not only impact on their jobs, but on their personal lives as well.

Also speaking, Laz Apir, a Governance Policy and Advocacy Expert at Triple C Consult, the training facilitator, said the two-day exercise was the first in the series for personnel in the agriculture sector under the project explaining that the training would enable participants, acquire budget tracking skills and improve coordination amongst Departments and Agencies’ involved in the overall food system in the State.

“We would also share practical skills on budget tracking with participants, as well as practical experiences and skills gathered over time on how they can better coordinate amongst the several agencies.

“We are trying to see how we can support participants with requisite skills to improve on their budget tracking,” adding, “if you do not track your budget performance, you might be doing bad, but you will think you are doing well.”