From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Over 500 women and youths are to benefit from World Bank assisted Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP) in Kano State.
This was disclosed by the Project Task Team leader, El-Hadj Adama Toure, who said this is in addition to a target of 10,000 small and medium scale commercial farmers along three value chains of rice, maize and dairy. He made this disclosure when he paid a courtesy call on the Kano State Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, in his office.
Toure said the women and youths would be trained in agribusiness and will be supported with a take-off grant, adding that the Phase 1 of the exercise would commence in a couple of months.
He disclosed that CADP was recently restructured by the World Bank leading to the addition of a component for women and youths. The Task Team leader expressed gratitude to the Kano State government for giving its approval for the continuation of CADP implementation in the state, after the suspension of the project 16 months ago.
In his address, the Kano State Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, expressed delight over the continuation of the project in the state, saying that government decided to continue with its implementation after considering the laudable activities recorded in the restructured project and the status of Kano State in the nation’s agricultural sector.
Gawuna stressed that the state will take advantage of the restructured project for employment generation and development of its small and medium scale entrepreneurs.
He appealed to the World Bank to approve the implementation of second phase roads under the project to further close the infrastructure gaps for enhanced agricultural commercialisation.
Source : SunOnline