Rivers
Emohua Gears For Food Production, Employment Opportunities
The Administrator of Emohua Local Government Area, Mr. Franklin Ajinwo, has said efforts are now underway to boost food production and create employment opportunities for youths in the Local Government and the State at large.
Ajinwo made this knwon recently at a stakeholders’ sensitisation programme by the Rivers State Rural Access And Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) organised in partnership with the Federal Government and World Bank in Rumuakunde, Emohua, the Council’s Headquarters.
The council boss noted that Emohua, as an agrarian Local Government Area is blessed with vast arable hectares of land and waterfronts suitable for both agriculture and fish farming.
According to him, the speedy implementation of the programme will develop the area, create better employment opportunities for the teeming youths and provide good roads to ease transportation challenges plaguing farmers in the area.
“We are very favoured because we have large expanse of land used for rice cultivation in Rumuewhor and we also have fishes in our rivers. This initiative, which is geared towards improving food production, will enable us feed our locals and Rivers State by extension as it aims to broaden commercial activities that will attract others from far and near”, he said.
He also advocated for speedy commencement of the programme, pledging support, cooperation and synergy that will address unforseen challenges to ensure success.
Earlier in his keynote address, the Project Coordinator of RAAMP, Mr. Joshua Kpakol, highlighted the essence of the sensitisation visit and its benefits to those in the rural areas.
Kpakol disclosed that RAAMP has been in existence for about ten years and operational in about 19 States across the Federation with focus on food security, rural development, provision of hospitals and construction of roads that give farmers easy transportation access to their market sites.
Describing the project as a collective responsibility that is all embracing and can change the economic fortunes of the Area for good, he said synergy will help yield better results if sustained.
“The rural dwellers are the direct beneficiaries of this project. Every strata of the society will be involved as it won’t discriminate, its aims and objectives are geared towards providing modern amenities and services to our people free of charge that will make them happy”, he said.
In his overview of the Project, Engr Ibibia Owubokiri defined the project as a Third-Generation Rural Access Project aimed at strengthening the institutional and
financing base for sustainable management of State and Rural Networks.
He also revealed the focal points of the Project, which include, Improvement of rural access and trading infrastructure, Sector Reforms asset management and Agro-logistics Performance, enhancement and Institutional Development, as well as Project Management and Risk Mitigation.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications, Emmanuel Ndah, was among dignitaries in attendance.