Lagos partners CADP to boost agric

The Lagos State government has partnered the Commercial Agriculture Development
Project to empower 315 women and youths with agricultural skills. The shortlisted beneficiaries are to benefit from CADP’s empowerment scheme in three agricultural value
chains of aquaculture, poultry and rice.
The scheme, which expressly received the prompt approval of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, has taken immediate effect. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya, explained that Governor Ambode is interested in empowering women and youth in agriculture, noting that it is central to the administration’s objectives
of eradicating poverty, spreading wealth and engaging the youth in productive ventures.
Onasanya reiterated the Ambode administration’s commitment to agriculture, citing the partnership between the Lagos and Kebbi states governments on rice production, as
a testimony to the state’s interest in agro-allied ventures.
He said that the rice partnership will go into full blast next year, when the citizens will start reaping its benefits. Meanwhile, 55 out of the 315 beneficiaries have been trained and are currently receiving their inputs as well as other items embedded in their business plans. The remaining 260 beneficiaries are presently undergoing a 16 day training, after which they will prepare their business plan for approval and empowerment.
Meanwhile, the CADP Task Team Leader, Dr. Sheu Salau, said, “Our mission is to assess the level of implementation from The Point where we had restructuring till date. “We will look at financial issues, monitoring and evaluation activities as well how to harmonise what we have done and prepare for the activities leading to the closure of the project.”