SUNDAY PUNCH
BUSINESS
MONEY
DECEMB ER 25, 20 11
24
FADAMA III: FG gets $2.8m grant from Japan IFEANYI ONUBA
T
'HE
,
Federal
Government has received
a 1$2.8m grant f~m
Japan
~~\or its ~=e~~ ,o;ect. I r'
f
The amJ unt, w~ich
was secured through the World Bank, sspecifi~Jly meant , to establish bila! Information and
commUnli CatiOnS Technology
centres
I
in
some selected FAOAMA communities in four states. The states are Lagos. Cross Rivers, Sokoto and Yobe. Speaking during the handover of the JSDF, the National Programme Coordinator, Mr. Daudu Daniel, said the objective of the programme was to establish sustainable information technology that would enable FAOAMA information, knowledge and business
advisory service centres. Themove,accordingto him, will help 16 increase farm productivity and rural household incomes as weU as provide useful information to enable farmers to participate equitably in the global markets . This. he noted, became imperative since a key issue with ICT in agriculture was to create a financially sustainable enterprise. The Country Director
of the World Bank, Marie Francis Marie-Nelly; the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Rynichi Shoji, were some of the notable personalities at the event. Daniel said, "The project development objective is to increase the incomes of users of rural land and water resources on sustainable basis, thus conbibuting to the achievement of a key millennium development goal.
"The location and spread of participating farmers isolate most of them from effective markets, communication and other basic 5elVices. With this challenge, there is need to provide useful information to enable farmers to participate equitably in both national and global markets and make available appropriate technological choices for modern agriculture.n He said the FADAMA
NA~ SI . N~RIfUND sign ~oU
on IP~Ojkctl
ht n1ing
I ria;s!
I ] HE
N;ge 'an
Association of Small e Inaus signed an Clgr'l!' 'th the I
hal.
mert I Nationa!! 1 Econ~;c J
ReconS짜ction Fund to boost funding o~ projects
t r
its,
mertfrs. II
I
r:
The agrE!ement all ASSI to. p ....nl bembers with their pro}eds for evaluation before
I
funding to NERFUND. The Nemorandum of Undersllmding was signed bt the NERFtJND office
th~ Managing Director of NERFUf-ID.
between
N.haji Saba Gimba, pnd
the
National
President Ch~ku
f NASSI, Mr. wachuku. Nwachuku.
speakin~ I at
ceremony.
giJe'n
I
while
IUle 51971n91 lamented
the enorfnity 9f de"lf nd for funds ~nd theb l1tion~s q~est hat
~~
de:
I
I
~1I 1~ . ~:
tlevelop~t
finince
insti~tiqjs i~ Nigr ria.
He sali;l, r' lcoun of 67 miUion l~opIe ,,\nth flme 59 "]ilDon small~caIe i?~~i~s, hailing only three fuqd ional DRs, that is dearlY. ~ ladequate, and I am calb ll3 for more
" G
I
He note? thai the 'atien \youJd ensure lhat it plaJed its role despite lhe fu~in~ j chall ge hurently be~re it. NASSI, ,,;d, W~uld embark on 8j drive tOIget ~tate gov~rn~ents to rT)ake funds 3vaUabie 0 small-
I
"'l
scale industries. I
I
Cow Choco now reformulated to dissol ve instantly in hot1Jr cold wat er .
Information and Knowledge Service project is the first to be implemented in Nigeria. The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, A1haji Bukar lljani, assured the donor that the fund would be effectively managed. He said that the move was timely, considering theFederalGovemment's commitment to boost agriculture in the country.