The World Bank has disbursed $16.2 million to 27 Nigerian states as part of its $250 million commitment to the third phase of the Fadama Project announced Dr Bola Adubi, the World Bank Senior Agricultural Specialist in charge of the Nigerian agricultural project known locally as Fadama III.
The implementation of Fadama III began in March this year and is expected to terminate in 2014.
It has a total package of $450 million, out of which $250 million will be made available by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) soft loan at 0.7 percent interest.
The federal states and local governments as well as the benefiting communities are expected to provide US$200 million as counter fund.
Adubi said the 27 states received $600,000 each, adding that the states could request for more funds after a satisfactory submission of a comprehensive statement of expenditure.
According to the World Bank Senior Agricultural Specialist in charge of the Fadama III project, all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had been mainstreamed into the program owing to the renewed focus of government on agriculture and to ensure poverty reduction.
Adubi said that the main target of the program was to sustainably increase the incomes of participating rural communities.
Malam Bukar Tijani, National Projector Coordinator, said the mid-term review of Fadama II showed that the target of increasing income of users by 22 percent had been surpassed, hitting 28.9 percent by the end of 2007.
The coordinator said that the current phase was targeted at 2.2 million farm families across the country with 15 persons per farm family, to benefit an overall 16 million people.
Source African Press Agency
