Niger State government has reaffirmed its commitment to providing an enabling environment for the assessment team from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) to succeed in its 12th supervision mission to the state.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman, made this known during a special dinner organised in honour of the IFAD VCDP team at the Government House, Minna.
He said the state government had put in place all necessary measures to ensure the team carried out its mandate with ease, adding that all stakeholders were ready and willing to cooperate with the team in every part of the state.
According to him, “the dinner also provided an opportunity to foster unity among Africans, especially within the West African region, through the display of cultural heritage and shared values.”
The Country Director, IFAD VCDP, Mrs Dede Ekoue, expressed appreciation to the farmer governor for what she described as high-quality hospitality, reaffirming IFAD’s commitment to supporting smallholder farmers to actualize the governor’s agricultural development agenda in the state.
In her words, “IFAD remains dedicated to helping small farmers achieve greater productivity, improve food security, and strengthen the agricultural value chain across Niger State.”
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Mathew Ahmed, also stressed the importance of harnessing Niger State’s vast agricultural potential, noting that development partners like IFAD had continued to demonstrate reliability in supporting sustainable growth.
All members of the visiting team were presented with local hats and traditional attires, and were treated to delicious local dishes while enjoying live entertainment by the GWAPE music group.