By Seyi Odewale
As the state sets to boost food security through Agricultural Value Chain development, Kano Governor Alhaji Abba Yusuf has disbursed N400m to 10 community interest groups of the young generation to engage in Agribusinesses to boost food security not only of the state but also of Nigeria at large.
This was contained in a statement yesterday by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa.
According to the statement, Governor Yusuf made the call during the disbursement of 400 million naira from the Community Revolving Fund to 10 interest groups from four Local Government areas of the state, which was organized by the Kano Agro-Climatic Resilience Landscape (ACreSAL) in collaboration with the World Bank and held at Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano.
The Governor said the groups would receive N40m ($25,000) each, and everyone is expected to benefit from at least N1m as start-up capital for agricultural value chain businesses to become self-sufficient.
Yusuf said the programme would register community interest groups and farmers’ cooperatives for climatic resilience businesses in selected areas.
He urged the beneficiaries to make the best judicial use of the fund to enable other teeming youth across the state to benefit from the ACReSAL programme.
The Governor said though the ACReSAL initiatives; the state made remarkable strides in tackling environmental challenges.
He charged the state Commissioner of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Dahir Muhammad Hashim, the immediate past coordinator of the ACReSAL, with developing a more strategic programme to ensure friendly environmental sustainability.
In his welcome address, Dr Hashim urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the revolving fund, disclosing that there are other international donor agencies ready to support the state, provided this particular project succeeded.
For his part, The National Coordinator of the ACReSAL programme, Alhaji Abdulhamid Umar, expressed gratitude to the state government for the partnership and for its commitment to eradicate redundancy among its teeming youth.
