KSAPD boost agriculture, awards N6bn irrigation rehabilitation contract

Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP), has approved the award of N6,036,334,688, contracts for an irrigation project and other capital-intensive projects across some councils of the state.

The projects include the development of a total of 1,006 hectares of irrigation structures (at sectors 9-14) at Watari irrigation scheme, Bagwai council and the construction of 40 Milk Collection Centres at different locations, spreading across 15 councils of the state.

The Watari infrastructure projects will cost the sum of N4,539,501, 897 while the 40 Milk Collection Centres will be constructed at the total cost of N1,496,832,791

A statement by KSADP Communication expert Aminu Yaseer, stated that funding for the interventions will be provided by the Islamic Development Bank and the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF), as part of a broad vision to enhance agricultural productivity, ensure food and nutrition security as well as improving income generation for small-holder farmers and herdsmen.

The projects, awarded to eight separate indigenous contractors, will begin in September 2022 and be completed by September-December, 2023.

The investment, according to Yaseer, is predicted to impact thousands of farmers and pastoralists, thus, revitalising the economy of Kano.

Speaking shortly after signing the contracts, coordinated by the Kano State Ministry of Justice, the State Project Coordinator, KSADP, Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, said the occasion was a significant step towards revamping agriculture in the state, the statement noted.

Muhammad urged the contractors to see the projects as a service to humanity, stressing that they are expected to abide by all the contractual guidelines in order to deliver value for money.

“These interventions, which will soon be followed by other activities, will surely bring about change in the agricultural fortunes of Kano and will lift a significant number of our people out of poverty,” he said.

The Managing Director, Kano State Rural Development Authority (KNARDA), the executing agency of KSADP, Dr. Junaidu Yakubu Muhammad, warned the contractors that a strong monitoring mechanism has been put in place to supervise their work, adding that if any one of them found wanting would be sanctioned according to the stipulated regulations.