Nigeria, 11 others to get World Bank's agric assistance

The Nation

3 March 2011

Nigeria, 11 others to get World Bank's agric assistance

Nigeria and 11 other West Africa countries are to benefit from a World Bank-assisted regional agricultural project – West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP).

They are Ghana,Mali. Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, Benin, Gambia and Niger.

The Board of the World Bank has already approved Nigeria’s participation in the programme, which is expected   to help it increase productivity and create direct employment for about 1.5 million farmers, especially youths and women.

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Nigeria’s share in WAPPP is $51 million out of the $300 million approved for the 12 countries in the West African sub-region. Out of the $ 51million allocated to it, $30 million will come from the ECOWAS sub-region with the balance of $15 million from Nigerian IDA and $6 million from free grants from the Global Food Crisis Response Programme (GFPR).

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According to Abdoulaye Toure,  “Nigeria is expected to play a key role in championing this regional agricultural programme to scale up research and technology adoption to enhance agricultural productivity in the West Africa sub-region. Many of the participating West African countries are looking up to Nigeria for leadership in the project.”