The Federal Government has emphasised the importance of states committing 10 per cent counterpart funding to qualify for participation in the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, stated this during the opening session of the 8th RAAMP Implementation Support Mission held in Abuja on Monday.
Abdullahi underscored the crucial role RAAMP plays in transforming rural agriculture by improving access to markets and enhancing infrastructure.
“RAAMP is already playing a critical role in addressing two of the priority areas identified by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration: boosting agriculture to achieve food security and enhancing infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth,” Abdullahi said.
In line with this vision, the Minister outlined the conditions for states seeking to participate in the scale-up project, noting that they must “irrevocably commit to a 10 per cent counterpart fund for the agencies.”
He also stressed that states must establish the Rural Access Road Authority and the State Road Fund by law, provide functional office accommodations, and deposit seed funds for the agencies.
“States that meet these minimum eligibility criteria will receive a US$30 million allocation, which must be disbursed within two years of effectiveness,” he added.
