By Verior Baure
The Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has launched a N100 million Climate-Smart Agribusiness Empowerment Scheme for smallholder farmers in the state.
The agricultural transformative initiative was unveiled on Wednesday evening in Katsina in partnership with the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD).
Unveiling the scheme, Governor Radda said his administration has injected N36.25 million for the implementation of the scheme while N63.75 was received from NEPAD as funding for the programme.
He explained that the programme would transform the state’s agricultural landscape and ensure climate resilience, adding that his administration is committed to moving farmers from subsistence to commercial production.
He added that the initiative will provide farmers with improved seeds, modern farming tools, technical knowledge and market linkages thereby enhancing food security and revenue at the grassroots level.
He directed the state’s agricultural extension workers and other critical stakeholders to ensure proper utilization of the allocated resources and training provided under the programme.
Radda said: “This is a deliberate investment in our people and our economy. We want our farmers to move from subsistence to commercial production using smarter, climate-resilient approaches.
“Our extension agents must follow up closely. Monitoring and evaluation will be key to assessing the real impact of this initiative. Let us work together to make sure these resources are not wasted.”
In his remarks, the National Coordinator of AUDA-NEPAD in Nigeria, Hon. Salisu Jabiru Tsauri, described the launching of the programme in the state as a strategic alignment between national priorities and continental agricultural goals.
He said the programme is a gateway to achieving Agenda 2063 of the African Union that will provide farmers with inputs, improved seeds, modern farming tools, as well as knowledge and market linkages.
He highlighted the construction and repair of critical dams, procurement of over 20,000 metric tons of fertilizer for the 2025 farming season and distribution of thousands of solar-powered irrigation pumps as activities to be implemented by the programme in the state.
On her part, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor Radda on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Maryam Sodangi, emphasized the long-term vision behind the initiative.
“This empowerment scheme reflects our commitment to building climate-resilient farming systems. It is about laying the foundation for food security in the face of environmental changes,” she explained.
Leave a comment