The Federal Government has been urged to extend infrastructure and development projects to rural farming communities to boost agricultural productivity, improve livelihoods and increase the sector’s contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The call was made by the Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Dr Andrew Mamedu, during a visit by the organisation’s Board and General Assembly to Kaida Sabo community in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Mamedu described Kaida Sabo as an agrarian community with enormous agricultural potential, stressing that government should provide the necessary infrastructure and enabling environment to help farmers expand production.

According to him, despite being part of the FCT, the community remains underserved because of its distance from the city centre, resulting in inadequate access to basic infrastructure and public services.

He said the visit was aimed at assessing the impact of ActionAid’s interventions, identifying ways to sustain the projects and engaging government officials to attract more development to the community.

Mamedu said ActionAid, in partnership with the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), had established an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre that now enables residents to access digital services, including online registration, printing and other computer-based services within the community.

He added that the organisation had also supported women through a Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), which has mobilised savings of more than ₦5 million within a year, enabling members to access affordable loans to expand their businesses and improve household incomes.

Also speaking, the Chair of the ActionAid Nigeria Board, Mrs Rabi Isma, said the visit provided an opportunity for board members to interact with beneficiaries and assess the impact of the organisation’s programmes on the community.

She said ActionAid’s interventions, including ICT training, gender-based violence prevention, Gender Action Learning System (GALS), savings and loan initiatives, and agricultural support programmes, had significantly improved the lives of residents.

According to her, testimonies from beneficiaries, including increased farm yields, improved access to educational materials and enhanced digital literacy, demonstrated the effectiveness of the programmes.

She urged government at all levels to scale up similar interventions across rural communities, noting that while non-governmental organisations could only reach a limited number of communities, government had the capacity to reach millions.

The Vice Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Hon. Halidu Dutrashe, commended ActionAid and its partners for complementing government efforts in rural development.

He said the organisation’s interventions had exposed young people in the community to digital skills and other opportunities that would improve their livelihoods.

A community representative, Mr Yusuf Kabiru Baka, said ActionAid and CITAD had transformed Kaida Sabo through programmes that improved digital literacy, reduced gender-based violence, strengthened women’s economic empowerment and enhanced access to education.

According to him, residents no longer travel long distances to access ICT services, while women now have better access to finance through the Village Savings and Loans Association.

He added that educational materials provided by the organisations had improved learning among children, while the Gender Action Learning System had promoted gender equality and greatly reduced gender based violence