Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom says the state has finalised plans to implement an oil palm revolution to boost economic prosperity.
Mr Eno said this on Friday while inaugurating an 11km road project implemented under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) in Nsit Ibom.
Represented by his deputy, Akon Eyakenyi, Mr Eno said that the plan would boost food production and sufficiency in the state.
He said that his administration had a coordinated plan to massively increase oil palm farming, processing and marketing across the 31 local government areas.
The governor further said that more farmers would be given improved oil palm seedlings, grants and assistance in land preparation to invest.
Mr Eno reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustainable infrastructure development across the state.
He said that every local government area in the state had benefited from his administration’s impactful projects, such as roads, schools, and hospitals.
“The essence is giving Akwa Ibom people services that will improve their quality of life,” he said.
In her remarks, the commissioner for agriculture, Offiong Offor, said that the state government had promptly paid its counterpart funding for the RAAMP project.
Ms Offor stated that improved rural infrastructure would significantly reduce rural-urban migration by opening up economic opportunities in local communities.
She disclosed that RAAMP had successfully delivered no fewer than 202 kilometres of rural roads across 18 local government areas of the state.
“We have established 19 road maintenance groups comprising 65 members across 14 local government areas; this is to ensure sustainability and proper rural road maintenance,” she said.
Ms Offor thanked the World Bank, the French Development Agency and the International Labour Organisation for their support of the project.
The national project coordinator, RAAMP, Aminu Mohammed, described Akwa Ibom as one of the “standout states” among the 19 participating states.
He said that Akwa Ibom’s performance had qualified her for the second phase of the project, saying, ”This is a clear indication of consistency and effective implementation.”
He said that the project integrated road construction, agro-logistics centres, and rural markets to stimulate agricultural productivity.
According to him, the project will also lead to increased income generation and economic opportunities for rural dwellers.
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