The Niger State agriculture subsector has been given a substantial lift, courtesy of a grant provided by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in partnership with the Niger State Ministry of Agriculture, specifically designed to review and enhance the state’s agricultural policy framework.
AGRA is providing a grant of $280,000 for the project, while the Niger State Government is also contributing a counterpart fund of $27,000 to support the implementation of the project.
Speaking during an inception meeting in Minna, Godswill Aguiyi, the AGRA Coordinator in Niger State, emphasized that the project’s primary objectives are to strengthen agricultural policies and enhance data management systems within the state.
Aguiyi emphasized that the project will also prioritize the enhancement of existing agricultural policies, ensuring they align with the current objectives of the new administration.
Aguiyi said, “We are also aware that the Agric sector is divided into four ministries, so we intend to take data from these ministries and let people see the opportunities in the state for investment, partnership and general westerners for the public on what is happening.
“When we strengthen their systems, we’ll have information from various systems uploaded to a central dashboard. We’ll also want to have data from all development partners to showcase what they are doing so that potential investors can be guided. Outdated policies will also be reviewed and improved in alignment with current realities.”
In his remarks, Mathew Ahmed, Permanent Secretary of the Niger State Ministry of Agriculture, expressed optimism that the grant will facilitate a comprehensive review of the ministry’s activities, thereby identifying key areas for improvement.
