By Sarah NEGEDU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has allocated the sum of $4.5 million, out of its $15 million World Bank intervention funds, for the implementation of Fadama CARES programmes in the territory.
According to the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, this would help implement three disbursement linked Indicators, DLIs, out of the total allocation of $15 million made available to the FCTA for implementation of the FCT CARES programme.
Mahmoud, disclosed this yesterday, during the official flag-off of grant disbursement to third batch of FCT FADAMA CARES beneficiaries for year 2023/2024 dry season production, held at Gwagwalada.
Recall that the FCT Administration and World Bank had set a target for the FCT Fadama CARES programme to provide grants support to 12,283 individual farmers as well as upgrade 17 Wet Markets across the Federal Capital Territory.
The minister noted that the event was another significant indicator of the unflinching determination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment towards the actualization of his Administration’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” which was designed with the specific purpose of revitalizing and deepening the nation’s economy through deliberate far reaching interventions in key sectors.
In her words, “it is heartwarming to note that the agricultural sector has been chosen as one of the critical intervention areas under the “Renewed Hope Agenda” to facilitate the attainment of food and nutritional security, provision of raw materials to our local industries, generation of gainful employment for our teeming unemployed youths, as well as contributing significantly towards increasing the inflow of foreign exchange through export.
“The specific objective of the FCT Fadama CARES programme is to increase food security and safe functioning of food supply chain in the FCT.
“The programme is deliberately designed to support the recovery of livelihood activities of poor and vulnerable households engaged in Agricultural value chains in the FCT with special consideration to women and unemployed youths.
“Its implementation is being anchored on the World Bank Community Driven Development approach for deployment of programme investments at the community level”.
While congratulating the 3,707 successful beneficiaries selected from thirty nine farmers community associations for disbursement of grants under this third batch by the FCT Fadama CARES programme, Mahmoud, however, assured that the FCT Fadama CARES Programme will increase to 7940 having earlier disbursed grants to 4233 beneficiaries under the first and second batches.
In his remarks, the Mandate Secretary, FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Hon. Lawal Kolo Geidam, said the secretariat is always ready to provide FCT Fadama CARES programme the necessary support in delivering this vital project.
“We will work with you closely during the course of the project implementation and will not hesitate to make available to you our technical and financial resources to ensure its successful delivery,” he stressed.
The items distributed include fertilizers, seeds and agro-chemicals, sprayers and personal protective equipment for crop farmers, day old chicks and feeds for poultry farmers.
Others include juvenile and feeds for fish farmers. goats for livestock farmers and grinding machines for women processors.
