Alliance for Green Revolution (AGRA) and Nasarawa State Government have begun a two-day stakeholders’ training in planning, budgeting, coordination to ensure transparency and accountability in implementation of agricultural programmes.
Alhaji Umaru Abdullahi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, declared the workshop open on Monday in Lafia.
He charged participants to make judicious use of the opportunity to participate actively to achieve the desired objective.
In his remarks, Ibrahim Abdullahi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nasarawa State Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA), said that capacity building programme is part of the implementation of the AGRA -Nasarawa State Capability for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation Project.
Abdullahi said the project, funded with a $370,000 grant from AGRA, is being implemented by the State Ministry of Agriculture, with support from NASIDA and Nasarawa Agricultural Development Programme (NADP).
According to Abdullahi, the project is an opportunity to unlock the agricultural potential of Nasarawa State to create wealth for the people.
He noted that the training would enhance the understanding of participants in the areas of planning, budgeting, coordination, and implementation processes in agricultural programmes in the state.
The NASIDA boss also said the training aims to equip participants with practical skills and tools for effective programme management, as well as promote a culture of transparency, accountability, and efficiency in agricultural programmes.
“The goal of the project is to improve the agriculture value chain and the entire food system, which is why participants were drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and other stakeholders working to ensure agricultural transformation in the state, ” he said.
In his remarks, Mr Kenneth Ode, the Project Manager of AGRA-Nasarawa State Inclusive Agriculture Transformation project, urged participants to give the training the attention it deserved to effectively impact the food system in the state.
He pointed out that the knowledge gained from the workshop would impact not only their jobs but their personal lives as well.
Also speaking, Mr Laz Apir, a Governance, Policy, and Advocacy Expert at Triple C Consult, the training facilitator, said the two-day exercise was the first in the series of training for personnel in the agriculture sector under the project.
Apir explained that the training would enable participants to acquire budget-tracking skills and improve coordination among departments and agencies involved in the overall food system in the state.
“We are trying to see how we can support participants with requisite skills to improve on their budget tracking.
“If you do not track your budget performance, you might be doing very badly, but you will think you are doing well.
“We would also share practical skills on budget tracking with the participants as well as practical experiences and skills gathered over time on how they can better coordinate amongst the several agencies, ” he was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria as saying.
