Again, Kaduna Makes History, Gets 3 World Bank Agriculture Aggregation Centres

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Malam Dalhatu Mustapha State Project Coordinator Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP) Kaduna (third left) presenting the signed agreement to representative of one of the contractors, Design Age Ltd, Architect Ahmad Sani during the signing in Kaduna yesterday. Photo: BASHIR BELLO DOLLARS

By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai’s  influence has earned his state the first of its kind in Nigeria, Commercial Agriculture  Aggregate Centres, courtesy of the World Bank’s Commercial Agriculture Development Programme (CADP).
Contracts for the centres which were awarded to three contractors one for each centre, were officially signed by representatives of the contracting firms, on Friday at the CADP  Kaduna office.
At the official signing, State Project Coordinator CADP Kaduna office, Malam Dalhatu Mustapha explained that out of the five CADP states in the country, only Kaduna was singled out for the aggregation centres.
He said that the centres would be gathering the products and convert them into value chains.
Also speaking, the acting National Coordinator CADP warned the contractors that if they failed to complete their contracts before the end of the CADP programme by May 31, the World Bank would not be able to pay them.
He said that but for the intervention of the Kaduna State Governor, no country in the country would have benefited from the project.
The acting National Coordinator further explained that aggregation centres are very important to agriculture because it provides opportunity to provide bulk products at a single centre.
In his remarks, the Task Team Leader (TTL), CADP, World Bank, Dr, Salau Shehu said that he was happy to be present at the historic signing of contract ceremony.
“Let me remind the contractors that the opportunity comes with high expectations, charging the contractors to maintain high standards.
Responding on behalf of the contractors, Architect Ahmad Sani of Design Age said that without waste of time, his company which has its head office in Abuja would swing into action to meet deadline.
“We are mobilizing to site immediately without wasting time,” he assured.
The three centres are located at Saminaka in Lere Local Government Area, Kachia Local Government Area and Giwa in Giwa Local Government Area.
They were chosen because they produce more maize, which is one of the products Kaduna was chosen for value chain improvement.
 

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