The FADAMA III Additional Financing (AF) programme has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Food Programme (WFP) to boost food production and people’s livelihoods in Borno.

A statement by Mr Tunde Oladunjoyelo, World Bank Media Consultant for FADAMA, on Friday in Abuja said that the MoU was signed by Mr Tayo Adewumi, National Coordinator of FADAMA, and Mr Tito Nikodimos, Director Operations of WFP.

Adewumi said that the one-million-dollar pilot project would be executed in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Jere Local Government Area.

“This was done with the objective of enhancing income generating businesses through provision of start-up capital and skills strengthening.

“We will train vulnerable youth groups and households headed by women to develop and maintain community infrastructure through a cash-for-work arrangement, targeting communities affected by the Boko Haram crisis.

“The project will aim at improving resilience of vulnerable households, with a particular focus on women headed households as well as unemployed rural and peri-urban youth who are exposed to severe food insecurity.

“I believe that the collaboration will also improve the beneficiaries’ access to food and community assets, with a positive impact on food security and nutrition,’’ he said.

Adewumi said that the project would align closely with the evolving policy of the present administration, which focused on arresting the dwindling food situation and supporting the transformation of agriculture in Nigeria.

The statement quoted Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno, as describing the concept as “a process of shared decision-making in which all the parties with a stake in a problem constructively explore their differences and develop a joint strategy for action.

“As we go on to build strong professionals in the field of humanitarian intervention to produce new talents working together, my government will not only encourage, but will also work closely with such partners.

“We will partner with them on excellent ideas about how to better accelerate development and restoration of livelihoods, especial in the local government areas located in the countryside.

“We are optimistic that this partnership will be a powerful alternative to conventional mechanisms and will strongly contribute to the restoration of livelihoods of the conflict affected communities in the state.’’

Dr Tunji Oredipe, the World Bank Task Team Leader for FADAMA, said that the FADAMA III AF programme has positioned itself as a development project which focused on improving the living conditions of the rural populace.

“The FADAMA programme has proved to be a leading and reliable instrument for responding to emergencies in the food sector in Nigeria.

“Currently, the project is responding to the urgent food and livelihood needs of farming households that have been affected by conflicts in the six north-eastern states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, and Gombe.

“FADAMA is financing the provision of food assistance, advisory and extension services, agricultural inputs and rehabilitation of infrastructure to help restore agriculture production and livelihoods of 24,000 farming households which comprise approximately 192,000 individuals.

“Our strategy is to cooperate with advanced humanitarian organisations like WFP to pilot livelihood restoration response in Maiduguri municipal and Jere local councils.

“We will subsequently use the positive outcomes of this piloting effort to reach out to other affected locations. We have high hopes that this joint effort will enable us to stay in the development forefront in the coming years,’’ he said.

Nikodimos, who is WFP Director of Operations, North East Nigeria, said that the WFP was the largest humanitarian agency, providing food assistance for more than 80 million people worldwide.

He said that the agency was targeting not less than N1.5 million people in the north-eastern part of Nigeria.

Nikodimos said that the agency’s partnership with FADAMA would be beneficial to the target beneficiaries, as it would boost their food security and livelihoods, while ensuring their agricultural and social protection.