Akwa Ibom Leads, Others Follow in RAAMP Agro-logistics Implementation
The Akwa Ibom State Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, AKS-RAAMP is the first to have been granted approval to award contracts for the physical construction / improvement of agro-logistics centers out 20 states participating in the project across the country.
AKS-RAAMP Project Coordinator, Pastor Gideon Akpan disclosed this yesterday during a one-day training workshop for safeguards and technical teams of the design / supervision consultant and contractors of the three agro-logistics centers recently awarded for construction under the project. The event was held at the conference room of the project office.
Agro-logistic centers refer to market hubs that have been identified for improvement, upgrading and transformation into ultra-modern standards at various locations under the project, notably across rural communities to empower and enhance the livelihoods of the people.
Pastor Akpan emphasized on the priority of safeguards, gender-based violence and child labour by the World Bank, describing the workshop as a necessity so as to equip and prepare the participants adequately for the job. His words: “This project does not compromise on safeguards. We go beyond the generally known Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA. We Advance into social, gender-based and child-labour issues. At the end of this workshop, each participant will sign a code of conduct to regulate your behaviours throughout the duration of the job. Both the consultant and the contractors are to further prompt their respective employees to sign the document and organize a step-down training programme for them in that regard as part of requirements to proceed with the job. That is how serious safeguards issues are rated in this project.”
He congratulated the contractors on their success through the bid evaluation process and charged them to take advantage of the ensuing dry season to redouble their efforts with a view to completing the jobs on schedule, adding that “the project would accord honours to the best contractors and recommend them for further opportunities.”
The coordinator reiterated his appreciation to the State Governor, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno for not only embracing the project but investing in it as a prime index of the ARISE agenda and pledged that his team would live above board to deliver the goods. He also applauded the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Offiong offor as well as the State Project Monitoring Committee, SPMC for their respective roles which had culminated in the soaring status of AKS-RAAMP among other participants in the project across the country.
Highlights of the workshop were lecture presentations on “General Overview of RAAMP” by the State Project Coordinator, Pastor Gideon Akpan; “General Overview of Safeguards Requirements” by the Technical Assistant on Safeguards, Mr. Ekpenyong Udoh; “Community / Occupational Health and Safety at Project Sites” by the Environmental Safeguards Officer, Dr. NseAbasi Udom; “Social Safeguards / Effective Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) at Project Sites” by the Social Safeguards Officer, Mr. Asuquo Essah; and “Gender Based Violence (GBV) at Workplace / Site” by the Gender Based Violence Officer, Mrs. Uduak Ebong George. The event also featured an interactive session.
The three market hubs intervened upon are: Ekponwa market in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area; Atabong market in Okobo Local Government Area; and Naira market in Ikono Local Government Area.
