The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has launched a South-East regional consultation to promote agriculture and food systems transformation at the states and regional levels.<\/P>
<\/P>
The programme tagged \u2018Country Strategic Opportunities Programme\u201d (COSOP) 2024-2029,\u2019 held on Thursday in Umuahia, the Abia capital.<\/P>
<\/P>
It had major participants drawn from various stakeholders in different value chains in agricultural development in four states including Imo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia as the host.<\/P>
<\/P>
The workshop was facilitated by the Abia State Project Coordinating Office of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises for Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), for IFAD.<\/P>
<\/P>
In a remark, the Abia LIFE-ND Project Coordinator, Dr Uchenna Onyeizu, said that COSOP was a roadmap for the implementation of IFAD\u2019s mandate for inclusive and sustainable rural transformation.<\/P>
<\/P>
\u201c COSOP is a framework for making strategic choices about IFAD operations in a country, identifying opportunities for IFAD financing as well as facilitating management for results.\u201d<\/P>
<\/P>
Onyeizu said that IFAD had penultimate week, launched the COSOP in Abuja, and decided that there should be zonal consultations in the six geopolitical zones.<\/P>
<\/P>
He said the Thursday\u2019s consultation in Abia was the beginning of the process of developing a new COSOP that would start from 2024-2029.<\/P>
<\/P>
According to Onyeizu, a new COSOP is being designed because the one that is being used in the country, will expire by Dec. 2023.<\/P>
<\/P>
Also, Dr Chinwe Onyegbula, the Liaison Officer with the IFAD Country Programme Advisory Team for LIFE-ND project, said that the launch was a preparation in the design for another COSOP that would run for 2024-2029.<\/P>
<\/P>
Onyegbula said that the COSOP document reviews the specific rural poverty situation in order to determine geographic sites and thematic areas for IFAD operations.<\/P>
<\/P>
She said that the event was being conducted in the six geopolitical zones simultaneously, with all the stakeholders involved expected to make valuable inputs.<\/P>
<\/P>
Onyegbula said that the reports from all the zones would be gathered and released into a policy document, which would be shared between Nigeria and IFAD.<\/P>
<\/P>
She said that the programme which focused on small holders, is designed in close cooperation with the government and other stakeholders to ensure national ownership.<\/P>
<\/P>
In a brief remark, Chief Israel Amanze, the Programme Manager of Abia State Agricultural Development Programme, lauded IFAD for the initiative.<\/P>
<\/P>
\u201cIt is a well thought out programme that will impact positively on the lives of our people,\u201d he said.<\/P>
<\/P>
Also, Mr Ambrose Duru, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Imo thanked IFAD for the massive and encouraging support given to the programme.<\/P>
<\/P>
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the participants were able to come up with some of the innovative ideas that can help agricultural development in the region.<\/P>
<\/P>
Source: News Agency of Nigeria<\/P>
<\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has launched a South-East regional consultation to promote agriculture and food systems transformation at the states and regional levels.The programme tagged \u2018Country Strategic Opportunities Pr…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n