Business
IFAD Partners Institute In Benin, Nigeria
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is partnering with Songhai Institute in Benin Republic to boost agricultural development in the country.
The institute runs agriculture-oriented courses and programmes.
IFAD’s Country Programme Officer for Nigeria, Dr. Ben Odoemena, told newsmen in Port Harcourt on Monday, that the institute was also working with IFAD to explore the possibility of boosting agricultural production in Nigeria.
He said the partnership was aimed at improving the income of small-scale farmers in the country.
“We plan to introduce agro-business activities in Nigeria,” he added.
Odoemena said officials of IFAD and Songhai Institute had visited Jigawa State to look into the possibility of adapting its model and transfer same to the state.
He said IFAD was currently executing three programmes worth $16 million to boost agricultural production in Nigeria.
Commenting on the benefits of the partnership with Songhai, Odoemena said: “We are finalising the MoU which will identify the level of our individual commitment and what the expected result will look like.
“From our own experience, we already know where we are heading to. We intend to make sure that farmers increase their income to improve their standard of living”.
“For now, the partnership is still at its elementary stage. It is still unfolding, but we expect that in the next few months, it will fully come into fruition.”
He announced that the partnership would cover the nine states in the Niger Delta region.