Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has presented cheques worth $25,000 each to 10 communities amounting to over N375 million as Community Revolving Fund to farmer groups in the state.
The fund was provided by the World Bank-assisted Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project to enable beneficiaries to invest in climate-smart rain-fed agriculture.
The benefitting communities included Anchau, Kuzuntu, Kubau, Zuntu and Jenau, as well as Likoro, Jaja, Hunkuyi, Kudan and Danmahawayi communities.
Speaking at the event, Governor Sani noted that the Community Revolving Fund aligns with his administration’s “commitment to Rural Transformation which is designed to support registered farmer groups under the umbrella of Community Interest Groups (CIGs), with loans.’’
Governor Sani promised to start the disbursement of his administration’s loans with Kudan and Kubau local governments in the phase 1 of the initiative, with a total of 82 CIGs.
He pledged that Phase 2 would commence in the second quarter of the year, with four local governments in the Central and Southern Senatorial Zones and two Area Councils in the Northern Senatorial Zone.
The governor added that the concluding phase of implementation will cover the remaining 11 local government areas of the state.
“With the support of ACReSAL, the State Government unveiled a 10-year Climate Change Policy, trained 500 women, youth, and school-feeding vendors in the production of biomass briquettes as an alternative to wood fuel,’’ he added.
The Governor recalled that his administration had identified 22,435 hectares of degraded land for land restoration and provided a state-of-the-art weather station.
Earlier, the Task Team Lead of the ACReSAL project, Dr Joy Iganya Agene commended Kaduna State for its commitment to environmental sustainability, which is evident in the state being one of the best performing sub nationals in the country.
Also speaking at the event, Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, warned that Community Revolving Fund is a loan and not a grant, adding that it will function as an investment fund for community and farmer groups.
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