News
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 Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has tasked troops of Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD to dominate the battlespace and intensify offensive operations against kidnappers, bandits and other criminal elements in the North Central region.
Shaibu gave the directive yesterday during his maiden operational visit to the Headquarters, Joint Task Force North Central (JTF-NC), at Sobi Barracks, Ilorin.
This is contained in a statement by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele, in Abuja, yesterday.
Shaibu said the Nigerian Army would remain resolute in its constitutional responsibility of safeguarding lives and property, stressing that troops must sustain pressure to decisively deny criminal elements freedom of action.
He assured personnel of continued deployment of combat enablers and operational resources to enhance clearance operations and dismantle criminal hideouts across Kwara and Niger states.
The COAS reaffirmed his commitment to troop welfare, noting that improved welfare remained critical to sustaining morale, operational effectiveness and combat readiness.
He urged the troops to remain disciplined, professional and loyal to the Constitution and the democratically elected government.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander, JTF-NC Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD, Maj.-Gen. Yakubu Yahaya, commended the COAS for his strategic leadership and support.
Yahaya assured that troops would remain committed and steadfast in restoring peace and stability in the region.
The Nigerian Navy says it is expanding training and infrastructure to address emerging security threats and strengthen operational efficiency across formations and units nationwide.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, spoke during the inauguration of projects at the Nigerian Navy Basic Training School (NNBTS) in Onne, Rivers as part of activities marking the Nigerian Navy’s 70th anniversary.
Abbas, represented by the Flag Officer Commanding, Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), Rear Adm. Ebiobowei Zipele, said the projects reflected significant progress made by the navy since its establishment in 1956 from the British Royal Navy.
“Training and infrastructure have improved significantly to meet contemporary security challenges and fulfil the navy’s constitutional responsibilities.”
According to him, the anniversary provides the navy an opportunity to reflect on its achievements and contributions over the past seven decades.
Projects inaugurated included a remodelled female trainees’ hostel accommodating more than 500 occupants and an expanded golf course upgraded from one to nine holes.
Others were the NNBTS fuel dump, Chief Boatswain’s Mate House, renovated pharmacy department and a new theatre block at the Naval Medical Centre, Onne.
Abbas described the new theatre as a major milestone for the navy’s medical services.
“Previously, injured personnel requiring surgeries were referred outside the facility.
“With this theatre, surgeries can now be conducted within the base.’’
He added that a 30KVA inverter had also been installed to guarantee uninterrupted electricity supply at the training school.
The naval chief assured officers, ratings and trainees that the navy leadership remained committed to their welfare and wellbeing.
“These infrastructure upgrades show the commitment of the Chief of Naval Staff to addressing operational and welfare challenges promptly,” he said.
In addition, NAVTRAC distributed educational materials to pupils of Community Primary Schools One and Two, Ogale, in Ebubu-Eleme area of Rivers.
Items distributed included exercise books, school bags and other writing materials as part of the navy’s civil-military engagement initiative.
Zipele said the outreach was designed to strengthen relations between the navy and host communities while supporting children’s education.
“Education remains critical to national growth and youth empowerment. Some of these pupils may eventually serve in the Nigerian Navy,” he said.
He noted that the initiative demonstrated the navy’s commitment to educational development, peace, security and sustainable community relations.
Zipele urged the pupils to remain disciplined, focused and committed to their studies while embracing patriotism, integrity and hard work.
He thanked the Ebubu community for its continued support for the naval training command headquarters and the navy.
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