Islamic Bank Budgets N23b For Kano State Agro Projects
By Jack Acheme, Kano
Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project, KSADP, funded by the Islamic Development Bank, IsDB Lives and Livelihood Fund and the government of Kano State, has unfolded a financial plan, in the sum of N23, 076, 030, 000, 34 for infrastructure and other interventions in 2023.
The State Project Coordinator, KSADP, Malam Ibrahim Muhammad, made this known during a presentation before the Steering Committee of the project, chaired by the Kano State Deputy Governor, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna.
The budget involves expenditure on several projects including Dansoshiya Grazing Reserve development, expansion of Watari irrigation scheme by 1,000 hectares, and upgrade of 20 Slaughter houses.
Others are commercial large scale fodder production, second batch of livestock fattening and reproduction schemes, implementation of straw utilization empowerment for youth, construction of grains storage facilities, Dawanau Market Infrastructure development, construction of 70km feeder roads as well as Stock Routes development.
“Crops Value Chain Intervention (Cereals) by Sasakawa Africa Association, Crops Value Chain Intervention (Legumes) by KNARDA as well Project coordination and management activities were also captured in the budget,” the Project Coordinator said.
Ibrahim Garba, however, mentioned that “non-payment of State government counterpart funds and encroachment of Dansohiya Grazing Reserve, thus, impeding development sites, as major challenges militating against smooth execution of the project”.
The State Deputy Governor, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna said: “In the first two years since the formal take-off of this project, attention has been focused on putting things on paper – planning, projecting and designing etc. It is only in this year, 2022, that the results started to manifest more clearly.
“In terms of capital projects and activities, which have impacted positively on our people,” he said.
Praising KSADP’s implementation strategy, the Deputy Governor thanked the Project Management Unit for its strict budget implementation in the past year, while he hoped that the trend would be maintained.
Confidence Okwuchi