Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a two-day workshop will facilitate an agricultural transformative initiative through the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)-funded Kano State Agro Pastoral Development Project (KSADP).
The collaborated workshop, organised by the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) and the Kano State Government is themed “Agricultural Transformation and What Works: Reflections from the Crop Value Chain of the Kano State Agro Pastoral Development Project (KSADP).”
The two-day workshop billed for 7-8 October, a statement by SAA’s communication officer, Moses Nongoatse said has the KSADP strategically positioning Kano on the path to sustainable agricultural growth with significant investments in climate-smart agriculture, livestock and dam development, post-harvest loss reduction, employment, poverty alleviation and infrastructure developments.
The statement quoted SAA Nigeria’s country director, Godwin Atser, saying, “We are honoured to have His Excellency, the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo chair this event.
“Former IsDB Vice President for Country Programs, Dr Mansur Mukhtar, who President Bola Tinubu recently appointed as Board Chairman of the Bank of Industry (BOI), will also be in attendance”
“The Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, will host Obasanjo and the governors from Jigawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Kogi, Oyo, Ogun, Enugu, Cross River, Benue, Gombe, Yobe, Zamfara, Niger, and Katsina and Akwa Ibom states among others, (as well as) Federal MDAs”.
The state known for its large-scale production of maize, millet, sorghum and rice for local consumption and groundnut and cotton, which are produced for export and industrial purposes, will have SAA Nigeria implementing the crop value chain component of the KSADP through a $19.3 million sub-grant.
This, the association said, would provide technical support to boost agricultural productivity and competitiveness, enhance farmers’ access to inputs, value addition, e-extension services, agribusiness development, and capacity building in crop production, postharvest operation and market access.
