Jigawa Govt, SAA Sign $100,000 MoU to Support Rural Dwellers
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
Jigawa State Government and Sasakawa African Association (SAA) have signed $100, 000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support rural dwellers.
Deputy Country Director, SSA, Dr Abdulhamid Gambo, who made this known said the MoU will run for one year, and wholly focused on promoting agricultural value chain.
Gambo who met with the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Muttaqa Namadi, told newsmen that Sasakawa African Association has operated in the state for over 30 years, rendering various supports and interventions in agriculture, food production and value chain aimed at improving the rural economy and food security.
He added that he is leading a delegation for the annual Media Field Visit to communities working with SAA, to enable the media to report about the association’s activities.
“It is to meet with community groups to hear and see all our activities in terms for technical inputs and implements, interventions, support,” he added.
According to him the association has worked with thousands of agricultural community based organisations and groups since their arrival in the state in 1992.
“Since then, we have been supporting both women and men groups in rural areas. In these years of our interventions, thousands of community groups and associations were supported in agriculture and value chain and are doing well as you can see for yourselves”.
“Presently, we are working with over 500 men and women groups cross 27 local government areas in the state. And now, we have signed another $100,000 MoU with the Jigawa state government for one year”.
He explained that the media field day is being conducted Jigawa and Gombe states.
“We are in Babuwawa, Sintilmawa and Facewa communities in Birninkudu and Ringim local government areas, where we provided a lot of interventions which cut across different components of agriculture value chain, extension activities that Sasakawa African Association is promoting”.
Gambo said SAS is promoting value chain extension in the areas of production, precessing, value addition, marketing and creating linkages with a farmers on both inputs and outputs levels.
“The Sasakawa African Association is working in four states in Nigeria primarily, but by extension we are working in more than 20 states under different other partnerships.”
During the field visit to Babuwawa, Sintilmawa and Facewa villages, the deputy country director expressed satisfaction with the progress made and economic upgrade in the communities.
He said the purpose of the projects is being achieved, and commended the communities for their efforts that have transformed their social and economic life.
In the villages visited, community leaders expressed gratitude to the Association for its support, saying their lives had been transformed, and improved their source of income.
They said apart from individuals capitals they have, they also have huge amount of cash and agricultural products as assets for their groups and associations.
