The Abia State Government, under the dynamic leadership of Governor Dr. Alex Otti (OFR), has been applauded for the prompt release of counterpart funds to advance the smooth implementation of the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) in the State.
This was made known by the RAAMP National Coordinator at the Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU), Engr. Aminu Bodinga Mohammed, during the ongoing 7th Joint World Bank and French Development Agency (AfD) Implementation Support Mission in Abuja, Nigeria.
Speaking during the mission, Engr. Aminu revealed that the goal of the support mission is to examine the various implementation challenges faced by the 19 states in attendance.
Announcing that civil works on Agro-Logistics Centers (ALCs) by RAAMP are expected to commence between August and September 2024 in Abia and other states, with 23 major contracts across the states, World Bank Task Team Leader Mr. Rakeesh Tripathi also spoke about the RAAMP scale-up.
Mr. Rakeesh Tripathi explained that there will be a scale-up for the project, but no state will receive it automatically. He emphasized that only states that have established the Rural Access Road Agency (RARA) and State Road Fund (SRF), along with sufficient counterpart funds, will gain access to the scale-up funds and support. For this reason, he advised all states to ensure they get the needed support to tackle every challenge facing their State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) before leaving the mission venue.
Highpoints of the meeting featured presentations by the State Project Coordinators of the respective participating states, question and answer sessions, observations, and more.
During his presentation, Engr. Chinemere Ogbonnaya, the Project Coordinator of Abia RAAMP, assured that with the massive support of the Abia State Government, especially through the prompt payment of counterpart funds from the proactive Governor Dr. Alex Otti (OFR), Abia RAAMP will make the project a reality in the state, providing good access roads and upgrading selected rural markets across the state.