The World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Mastercard Foundation, has targeted 200,000 small-scale farmers in reducing their post-harvest losses in the Northeast.

According to the global agency, 60 per cent of the farmers are women determined to improve post-harvest management of millet and sorghum by 2027.

The WFP Country Director in Nigeria, David Stevenson, at the weekend in Mamudo, while inaugurating a 60KVA solar-powered plant for an irrigation scheme in Yobe State, highlighted farmers’ impact in driving a sustainable growth in the country’s agricultural sector. He said: “The agricultural programme is implemented in the Northeast and Northwest, targeting Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Jigawa, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kano states.

Speaking on the funding, Stevenson noted: “Through public-private partnership like this, we’re reinvesting directly into northern states’ food systems.”
AfDB’s Director-General in Nigeria, Abdul Kamara, explained: “We’re touring Yobe, Borno, Kano and Jigawa states to assess the impact of our investments,” adding that the trip would enable the bank to develop a collaborative approach with WFP and the foundation to deliver sustainable solutions.

Besides the partnerships, he stated: “The Mastercard Foundation has invested $5 million (N7.5 billion) in the last three years through the UN agency to create good jobs for youths and women in the agricultural sector.”