From Umar Dankano,Yola.
The European Union and its development partners, OXFAM, CRUDAN and DEC partner with financial institutions and Government Agencies to support rural farmers for improved food security and financial inclusion in Adamawa state.
Team lead of OXFAM, Mr. John Bosco Abazie made the disclosure at a 2-Day engagement meeting with financial institutions and MDAs for financial inclusion of rural farmers held in Yola on the 20-21 January 2022, stressing that EU is funding the project in Adamawa and Kebbi states respectively.
Abazie said the new project tagged OXFAM Strengthening Active Citizenship and Systems for Improved Service Delivery, OSAID, is an offspring of the EU-PROACT project for Northern Nigeria, which dwells on food security, livelihood and resilience, and was concluded in August 2021.
He explained that, OSAID project was carefully designed to partnering financial institutions and government agencies purposely to create result-oriented procedures in reviewing and implementing policies
that can improve the lives of rural farmers.
“OSAID is an offspring of PROACT project, which is an EU funded project for Northern Nigeria which was implemented in Adamawa and Kebbi states, which was elapsed in August 2021 leaving excess funds worth N434 Million.
“OXFAM and its partners were able to get excess money (funds) using a revolving scheme and applied for the utilization, which EU approved, we now used it to form OSAID for improved service delivery in Adamawa and Kebbi states.
“We want to primarily strengthen structures and systems that have been stagnant or inefficient within the state and make active so that more people can benefit for their livelihood and health.
“We are bringing players from different disciplines with active capacities and special skills to assist in injecting workable policies for improved service delivery in our communities,” abazie emphasised.
In his remarks, Livelihood Influencing Program Officer, CRUDAN Mohammed Abdulrahaman Jada stated that the meeting was a platform to purposely explore available opportunities for the over 2.500 farmers clusters already established through PROACT project in the state.
Jada advanced that if the communication gabs between the Banks, MDAs and farmers are breached then significant improved market systems are eminent, saying that 68,000 households would also be made bankable.
Jada added that the Village Savings and Loans Associations, VSLAs, would be use in replicating the project in rural areas with a view to covering many communities in the state.
“In OSAID, we are trying to see how to deepen financial inclusion and improve market system that will work for the poor and oblige citizens with effective engagement with the government in one year duration.
“With this engagement, I think we will have a productive linkage between the farmers, commercial banks and the MDAs so that the financial opportunities in banks and government facilities untapped can be harnessed, Jada maintained.
Making his submission, Head of NIRSAL in Adamawa state, Murtala A. Mahmoud applauded the move by OXFAM in structuring farmers to finance, describing it as “a step taken towards the right direction,” which will boost agricultural production.
Mahmoud advised that knowledge acquired by the stakeholders should be replicated widely so that many people could also benefit from it.
Attesting to the impact of the projects in their communities, the Community Development Management Committee members from Song and Guyuk Councils, Mr. Olu Ayuba Nabanru and Mr. Simiyon Reuben confirmed that the coming of OXFAM and CRUDAN through EU have changed their stories from a pathetic to a productive one.
Our correspondent in Yola reported that the 2-Day engagement was graced by critical stakeholders driven from commercial banks including UBA, BOA, BOI, SMBL, NIRSAL, FCMB, FIRST BANK, POLARIS, UNION BANK as well as JAIZ BANK.
Others were NDE, State planing commission, PAWECA, World Bank and Development partners, VSLF Representatives, New Kosol Group of Companies, ADS-CSDA and Officials from state Ministries of Agriculture, Women Affairs, Commerce, Entrepreneurship, Finance & Budget and Ministry of livestock.