Dr. Donal Brown, the Associate Vice President of the Programme Management Department for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), recently revealed Nigeria’s prominent position with the largest portfolio in West Africa and the second largest across the entire African continent.
Dr. Brown made this announcement during the Federal Government-IFAD Open House and Exhibition Fair held in Abuja on Tuesday. He highlighted the significant impact of IFAD projects in Nigeria, executed in collaboration with the Federal Government, which have positively transformed 3,912,180 rural households in the country.
Among the notable projects mentioned were the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) in the Niger Delta, Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ), and Non-Sovereign Private Sector Operation (NSO) and Grants.
Emphasizing IFAD’s steadfast partnership with Nigeria in alleviating rural poverty, Dr. Brown underscored the organization’s commitment to enhancing agricultural value chains, facilitating community-driven development, and promoting profitable smallholder agribusinesses.
He stated, “IFAD remains a trusted ally of Nigeria in the fight against rural poverty. Our collaboration with the Nigerian government extends to building rural institutions and advancing financial inclusion for impoverished rural households.”
In her remarks, Dr. Fatima Aliyu, the National Project Coordinator for IFAD-VCDP, elucidated that the purpose of the event was to showcase IFAD’s achievements in Nigeria since 1985.
Dr. Aliyu highlighted IFAD’s significant contributions to rural households and smallholder farmers, enhancing their incomes, and ensuring food security through support for sustainable production, processing, and marketing of rice and cassava.
She further outlined that the VCDP spans across nine states: Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Niger, Ogun, Taraba, Enugu, Kogi, and Nasarawa, underscoring the broad reach and impact of IFAD’s initiatives across the Nigerian agricultural landscape.
