Food Security: FG, World Bank partner on $560 million irrigation project

The World Bank has earmarked 560 million dollars for irrigation projects in Nigeria, an official of the bank said on Tuesday.

Mr Muli Musinga, who led a delegation to a meeting with the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Prof Danbala Danju in Kaduna, towards developing an agreement on the financing.

Musinga said that the World Bank and BOA would soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to kick start the programme.

“The amount is earmarked to finance a seven year infrastructure development and other components starting with five states in the Northern region as pilot projects.

“We have three components which include: Upgrading of dams, resuscitating irrigation facilities and agriculture value chain development.

“The programme will develop more than 2,000 hectares of irrigable land in the areas to benefit hundreds of thousands of farmers in the pilot scheme.

“The dams include, Kano River, Dadinkowa Dam in Gombe State, Bakolori Dam in Zamfara State, Hadeja Valley in Jigawa and Goronyo Dam in Sokoto State,“ Musinga said.

The official said that the World Bank is partnering the Federal Government through BOA to make funds available to enable farmers engage in massive irrigation.

According to the official, farmers would engage in rice, wheat and tomato production in the areas for food sustainability and security.

The partnership would require the federal government to provide credit facilities to the farmers through the Bank of Agriculture which would warehouse the funds.

Part of the amount would also go to the training of farmers and technical personnel in Agric businesses.

Meanwhile, BOA managing director, has expressed the readiness of the federal government to embark on massive agriculture to diversify Nigerian economy for sustainable growth.

He urged officials of the World Bank to submit a draft of the MoU for review ahead of formal signing.