- By Femi Alabi
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has said that its projects executed in cooperation with the Federal Government have positively impacted 3,912,180 rural households in the country.
Dr Donal Brown, Associate Vice President, Programme Management Department, IFAD Rome said this at the Federal Government-IFAD Cooperation Portfolio Review and Open House Exhibition Fair on Tuesday in Abuja.
He identified some of the projects as the 0Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in Niger, Delta Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) and Non-Sovereign Private Sector Operation (NSO) and Grants.
“Nigeria has the largest portfolio in West and Central Africa and the second largest in all of Africa.
“IFAD has been Nigeria’s trusted partner for reducing rural poverty and continues to partner with the Nigerian government in developing agricultural value chains, enhancing comnunity-driven and developing profitable smallholder agri-businesses.
“It also partner in building rural institutions and pursuing financial inclusion for rural poor households, ” she said.
Dr Fatima Aliyu, National Project Coordinator, IFAD-VCDP said the event was to showcase what IFAD has done since 1985.
Aliyu said the organisation had impacted rural households and smallholder farmers, improved their incomes and ensured the food security of poor rural households engaged in the production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava on a sustainable basis.
According to her, VCDP covers nine states of Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Niger, Ogun, Taraba, Enugu, Kogi and Nasarawa.
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