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ECOWAS Releases $1.8bn For Agric Programme
The ECOWAS Commission, has so far mobilised 1.8 billion dollars from multilateral sources and bilateral donors for the implementation of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), an official has said.
The Principal Programme Officer (Agriculture) at the Commission, Dr. Ernest Aubee, told newsmen in Abuja that the regional organisation had created a 150-million-dollar agricultural fund and was also in the process of setting up an agricultural agency.
These processes, Aubee said, were preparatory to the implementation of the regional and national agricultural investment programmes as stipulated in the CAADP framework and policy.
He said that the 15 member states of ECOWAS had also developed and started implementing their individual national agricultural investment plans in line with the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP), fashioned after the CAADP.
The focus of the investment plans, he explained, was addressing the challenges of food insecurity and issues of poverty and livelihoods.
To achieve the set goals, he said that priority crops had been identified including rice, maize and cassava as well as livestock.
In addition to crops, he said that the organisation was also re-jigging policies on market access, free movement from one country to another, transportation and road network, among others.
Aubee expressed the hope that the food security situation in the region would improve if the programmes were well implemented.
“We are implementing a multi-pronged approach to address the food insecurity situation in the country.
“For example, we have identified priority crops like rice, maize, cassava. We have also identified livestock. In addition also to these priority crops that we have identified, we are also looking at policies.
“Policies dealing with market access. Are farmers able to produce and sell? What are some of the bottlenecks in terms of marketing within our respective countries and also within the region?
“We have issues of transportation and road network; we also have issues dealing with movement from one country to the other; so the ECOWAS Agric Policy is trying to address all these issues in a very holistic manner.”
On funding of the investment plans, the programme officer said that some member states had already accessed funding from the Global Food Security Programme Fund (GFSPF) being administered by the World Bank and some bilateral donors such as Spain and USAID.
According to him, part of the funding provided for the Food Facility Programme being funded by the EU would go to ECOWAS Commission while part of the money would be channelled directly to the individual member states.
“The total envelope for implementing regional programmes and national programmes is 900 million dollars and we are getting funding from a variety of sources. We’ve got over one-billion-dollar commitments coming from different institutions around the world,” he said.
Aubee said that the ECOWAS Commission had been very active in coordinating the implementation of CAADP in West Africa as mandated by the AU Commission and the NEPAD agency.
“CAADP is a continental agricultural programme and that programme we have domesticated in the form of ECOWAP, which is ECOWAS Agricultural Policy to make sure that what has been agreed by our leaders at the AU level is now domesticated at the regional level; at the ECOWAS level, so we are working very hard toward implementing the various declarations.’’
Aubee noted that African leaders were progressively striving to fulfill their commitment of allocating 10 per cent of their national budgets to agriculture as contained in the 2003 Maputo Declaration.
He commended the efforts of the African leaders and urged them to do more, noting that agriculture was linked to rural livelihoods, which if improved, would lift majority of the African population out of poverty.
“Agriculture is such a very vital sector. It is also linked to rural livelihoods; so if we improve agriculture, we are going to improve the livelihoods of a large number of people in the rural areas who form a very substantial part of our populations and who are the producers of the wealth that we all enjoy.”
The Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China, has teamed up with a renowned hospital group in Port Harcourt, the Meridian Hospitals, which is in partnership with the Pilgrims Health Foundation, to carry out a one-day medical outreach last Tuesday.
The free treatment scheme took place at Oromenike Government Girls Secondary School in D-Line, Port Harcourt, with over 100 persons accessing free treatments, including free eye-glasses and booking for eye surgeries.
Other areas of treatment included general health consultations and treatment; blood pressure and sugar level testing; malaria testing and treatment; free prescriptions; preventive health talks focusing on hygiene, maternal health, and nutrition.
The scheme was conducted under the theme: ‘Bringing Healthcare to the Community.’
Newsmen who visited the venue of the scheme found that enthusiastic beneficiaries had thronged the area as early as 7a.m. After setting up, the medical team began attending to the patients.
Mr. Jerry Onwuso, a 63-year-old patient, who was first to see eye doctors and got eye glasses and drugs, told newsmen that he was pleased with the medical intervention.
He made it clear he did not pay any money to get all the treatments and glasses, and pleaded that the scheme be sustained.
Another patient, Loveth Sam, expressed satisfaction with the scheme and appealed to the sponsors to continue to increase the benefits.
Throwing some light on the scheme, Mr. China said he worked in Meridian Hospitals as a Lab. Scientist 19 years ago, but resigned because he could not bear to see patients struggling for life because they had no money to pay for treatment.
He said he came back to help extend free medical treatment to the less privileged.
Sources said China was always having issues with the hospital authorities when he would insist on critical patients being allowed to be treated first, with or without money.
Years later, China, who now goes by a brand name, the Mayor of Housing, returned to the Meridian Hospital headquarters to support free medical scheme.
He also went the next day to the headquarters of Meridian, after the one-day medical outreach, to give cash gifts and palliatives to workers he met when he worked there but had remained in service since he left.
He encouraged them to continue to give their all to humanity through the hospital. The Mayor of Housing called most of them by name and a cloud of emotions descended on them during the reunion.
Appreciating the gesture, the Founder and Chief Medical Director, Dr. Iyke Odo, said China had always manifested hard-work, ambition, and impulsive giving.
According to him, the then young bright boy was full of humanity, kindness, love, and made friends easily, adding that “not everybody that gives is a giver. The difference is that givers are given to give.”
Dr. Odo used the opportunity to call on governments to review Nigeria’s health insurance system and make it work in Nigeria to save lives.
He said it was sad watching critically sick persons abandoned because they did not have money for treatment.
He also condemned harsh tax and electricity tariffs whereby facilities like his now pay N12 million instead of N500,000 few years back.
He wondered why hospitals were being made to pay tariffs like oil companies, citing many other countries where medical facilities were placed on low rates and tariffs so they could charge moderate fees from patients.
The Renewed Hope Initiative in conjunction with the Rivers State Government has empowered 500 elderly citizens in Rivers State with financial support of N200,000 each.
The empowerment programme was part of activities to celebrate the third anniversary of the Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme RHIESS, a social investment policy initiated by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Speaking at the event which held at the Government House, Port Harcourt, recently, under the theme, ‘Finding Joy in Old Age,’ Senator Tinubu said the gesture which has become traditional since 2023 was a mark of gratitude in recognition of the invaluable contributions of the senior citizens to nation building.
The First Lady who was represented by the wife of the Rivers State Governor and State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative, Lady Valerie Fubara, said the scheme was to “support two hundred and fifty (250) vulnerable elderly citizens aged 65 and above in all the 36 states of the federation, the Federal Capital Territory, and veterans from the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA) totalling 9,500 selected beneficiaries across the nation.
She urged the beneficiaries to engage in activities that will make them find joy in old age.
“I encourage you to continue playing your part by staying healthy and active, nurture both your body and mind through regular exercise and meaningful engagement,” Senator Tinubu advised.
On her part, Lady Fubara said the State Government through the magnanimity of the governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has increased the beneficiaries of the programme from 250 to 500.
She restated the commitment of the State Government towards provision of social welfare and improving the standard of living of the elderly in the State.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), Dr Vetty Agala, said the State Government has through the Health4allrivers Initiative, introduced free medical care for senior citizens in the State, in line with the Renewed Hope Initiative.
