..as Coordinator hails Oyebanji for adequate project funding
By Precious Owolabi, Ado-Ekiti
The Ekiti State Government has signed a Subsidiary Loan Agreement (SLA) for enlistment into the Scale-Up phase of the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) which would cost a sum of $600 million for the construction of more rural roads that would aid food production in the state.
Speaking at the 9th Implementation Support Mission of the project, the National Coordinator of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) Aminu Bodinga Mohammed said all the 36 states and the FCT are expected to participate in the Scale-Up based on their ability to meet the requirements for enlistment.
Mohammed who stated that Ekiti State is among the few states which have fulfilled the requirements for the Scale-Up commended Governor Biodun Oyebanji for his commitment to the project, noting that only Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi and Sokoto States have successfully operationalised the Road Sector Reforms culminating in the establishment of Rural Access Roads Agency (RARA) and State Roads Fund (SRF) which are critical components of the project.
The National Coordinator said the scale-up project is sequel to the successes recorded by the benefitting states, all of which have accessed a total of $488million out of the $575million originally set aside for the project.
Mohammed who noted that the project has been co-financed by the World Bank, French Development Bank (AFD) and the participating states through the Federal Government of Nigeria stated that a total of 801.96km of rural roads would have been completed under the RAAMP initiative by April 2026.
He said 273.33km have already been completed while 528.63km has been projected for completion based on their current stage of completion.
“When the project started, disbursement was the problem; later it was procurement, but today, with the help of the World Bank and the French Development Bank, we have been able to surmount these challenges and are making progress. I am happy to inform you that another $500 million has been secured from the World Bank for the Scale-Up. This is as a result of our collective efforts. We have put in place machineries to ensure the sustainability of the project with the establishment of State Roads Fund (SRF) and Rural Access Road Authority (RARA). All the 36 states and FCT will be participating in the Scale-Up”, he said.
Assessing the performances of the participating states, the national coordinator noted that out of the last six states comprising Ekiti, Niger, Osun, Ebonyi, Gombe and Kaduna, Ekiti is second in terms of payment of counterpart fund as the State Government under Oyebanji has provided sufficient matching funds for the project to sail through.
In his welcome remarks, the World Bank’s Task Team Lead (TTL) Rakesh Tripathi disclosed that the Bank and the participating states through the federal government would fund the $600 million scale up programme.
Tripathi who commended the states for redoubling their efforts in the last six months, admitted that the rains might have slowed down the pace of construction works, but urged all participating states to ensure that “contract performance” is in tandem with “civil work performance”.
He however charged all the participating states to ensure that at least 90% of all previously awarded roads are completed within the next six months.
Responding to the inclusion of Ekiti State in the scale-up, the State Project Coordinator, Sunday Adunmo said this represented a renewed hope for Ekiti communities whose rural roads have been penned down for construction by the state government.
Adunmo who described the scale-up as a game changer for Ekiti State said this would enhance more economic opportunities through increased market access by the provision of more rural roads.
Adunmo commended the State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji for regularly providing funding for the project and for allowing the project to operate seamlessly, noting that the inclusion of Ekiti State in the scale-up would fast- track the vision of the Oyebanji-led administration to transform the state’s agriculture sector.
He added that Ekiti RAAMP has delivered 50km asphalted roads out of 132km which was awarded when the project took off in the state.
Adunmo, who congratulated Governor Oyebanji on his third anniversary in office which he described as impactful, said Ekiti rural communities would be eternally grateful to him for providing access to their farms and markets.