The deputy Governor while declaring the programme open, he Narrates How N2 Billion SME Loan was Embezzled in 2015.
The Deputy Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Chief Edward Onoja today represented the Governor of Kogo State, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello at a two weeks training programme for 500 beneficiaries of the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement And Livelihood Support (APPEALS) Project from Kogi State.
The training is taking place at Ahmadu Bello University College of Agriculture in Kabba for select Kogi Women and Youth.
In his address, the Deputy governor said Kogi State Government under the leadership of His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, has through the State Ministry of Agriculture achieved milestones in meeting the initial stipulated conditions for participating in the APPEALS Project.
“The Project Development Objective (PDO), he noted, is to enhance agricultural productivity of Small and Medium Scale Farmers and improve value addition along priority value chains of Cashew, Cassava and Rice”, he stressed.
“However,” he emphasized, “the Women and Youth sub component allows for enhancement across other priority value chains of the project namely; Maize, Cocoa, tomatoes, Wheat, Ginger, Livestock (Dairy), Poultry and Aquaculture.”
The deputy governor recalled that unlike the previous administration which received the sum of N2 billion for Small and Medium Enterprises Loan from the Federal Government that the state is still servicing despite the fact that not a single citizen of the state benefitted from, the funds for the APPEALS – WYEP are being disbursed to beneficiaries beginning with the training. He further said, “as Citizens Of Kogi State we will not sit by to allow Government Institutions and Private Agencies to diminish our efforts especially in areas of transparency, probity and accountability. We know where we are coming from, where we are and where we are headed”, he emphasized.
He further revealed that arrangements have also been concluded to train selec 1,700 APPEALS-WYEP Beneficiaries in Kogi State between now and February 2020. The successful ones during the training activity, he added, would be empowered to start up their agribusinesses along the priority value chains of their choice.
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