Nigeria has mapped out strategies to monitor projects funded by development and donor partners across the country in a bid to ensure accountability and transparency in the implementation of the projects.
The West African country's junior minister of agriculture, Heineken Lokopobiri said that one of the strategies will include the formation of Project Coordinating Unit (PCU) in the ministry
Lokpobiri said the planned monitoring of the projects was in line with the Nigerian government’s directive that all projects funded by development partners should be well coordinated and supervised for maximum documentation, accountability, transparency, and probity.
The minister expressed regret that reports on past projects funded by development partners showed duplication of efforts, inefficiency in the utilisation of resources and poor coordination.
He said that the duplications resulted in the non-optimal impact of the interventions on the country’s agriculture sector.
Lokpobiri stressed that the country could not afford to borrow from development and donor partners and fail to utilise the resources effectively.
He underscored the need for the ministry to prioritise its borrowing plans and engage in activities that would result in import substitution of the country’s agricultural products.
“Our aim is to redirect attention to agriculture in its entirety and empower our people in a productive and sustainable manner," the minister said through his representative.
“This entails treating agriculture as a business to create wealth and provide employment, so as to take us from being an import-dependent country to a self-sufficient nation, with a surplus for export to earn foreign exchange.’’
Some of the agricultural projects funded by donor partners include the West African Agricultural Productivity Project (WAAPP), the Rural Finance Institution Building Project (RUFIN) and the Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP).
Lokpobiri said the planned monitoring of the projects was in line with the Nigerian government’s directive that all projects funded by development partners should be well coordinated and supervised for maximum documentation, accountability, transparency, and probity.
The minister expressed regret that reports on past projects funded by development partners showed duplication of efforts, inefficiency in the utilisation of resources and poor coordination.
He said that the duplications resulted in the non-optimal impact of the interventions on the country’s agriculture sector.
Lokpobiri stressed that the country could not afford to borrow from development and donor partners and fail to utilise the resources effectively.
He underscored the need for the ministry to prioritise its borrowing plans and engage in activities that would result in import substitution of the country’s agricultural products.
“Our aim is to redirect attention to agriculture in its entirety and empower our people in a productive and sustainable manner," the minister said through his representative.
“This entails treating agriculture as a business to create wealth and provide employment, so as to take us from being an import-dependent country to a self-sufficient nation, with a surplus for export to earn foreign exchange.’’
Some of the agricultural projects funded by donor partners include the West African Agricultural Productivity Project (WAAPP), the Rural Finance Institution Building Project (RUFIN) and the Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP).
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