A plan to boost the Nigeria For Women Project with N450 million counterpart funding, a World Bank project targeted at empowering the women in Akwa Ibom State has been approved.
The state Governor Umo Bassey Eno, announced the approval when a World Bank delegation led by the Country Director for Nigeria, Mr. Shudham Chaudhury, visited him at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Uyo.
Eno said the money will go to the agriculture and rural development which are in line with his administration’s ARISE Agenda and the World Bank’s vision.
“Most of the programmes like you rightly observed compliment our ARISE Agenda,” the Governor said. “We are willing to work with you to ensure that we continue to scale up where necessary.”
“For now, agriculture is the key thing the ARISE agenda addresses,” he said.
He said they can work with world bank to scale up agricultural potentials and guarantee food security in the State.
With satisfaction, he revealed that the visit has really thrown a lot of light on World Bank projects in Akwa Ibom.
“I must say that in my five months in office, this is the first time I’m getting such briefing on World Bank projects that we are doing,” he confessed.
“Listening to you in this meeting affords us, particularly myself, the privilege of having an understanding of how these things operate,” says the governor.
On the 450 million naira that was supposed to be contributed, the governor said he knows he has given the approval for it to be released.
“I can tell you that in the next one week, we will disburse it,” he assured.
“We can assure you that we will close the gaps and by the time you do your next assessment, you will see us moving very fast,” he added.
He said he will work very hard, and that he will appoint a Senior Special Assistant who will work as the State focal person to help coordinate these activities and report directly to him on all of these projects so that they can see the gap and understand how to quickly close them.
“The visit was aimed at sharing my knowledge with the State governor as well as give the overview of World Bank’s effort and support to Nigeria,” the World Bank Country Director, Mr. Shudham Chaudhury, said.
“I commend the Governor over the rich content of the ARISE Agenda in furthering the development of the nation and subnationals,” Chaudhury added.
He said the World Bank’s position concerning responsibility for the progress and solving development challenges will lift Nigerians out of poverty, but that it also depend largely on governance and leadership at the State level.