All is well that ends well
The Eventual Soothing Effectiveness of RAAMP in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria
December 16, 2021 marked a turning point for the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, RAAMP. It was a Friday, the last working day for that fiftieth week of the year. The project’s narrative had changed from a vague and dishonest scheme to a well – defined, people – oriented programme in the estimation of some stakeholders across the country. Indeed, that weekend was quite soothing for most enthusiasts. RAAMP had ultimately attained financial effectiveness, bringing to an end a protracted era of obscurity, doubts and imprecision about the project.
It was a big relief! About five years had lapsed without any reprieve, yet Akwa Ibom State had keyed into the scheme since 2016 and inaugurated the State Project Implementation Unit, SPIU in May, 2017. Governor Udom Emmanuel, as an economic expert had envisioned the viability of the project and keyed into it promptly.
The SPIU is responsible for the day-to-day running of the project, with supervision by the State Project Monitoring Committee, SPMC, while the Federal Project Management Unit, FPMU oversees activities at the respective participant states.
RAAMP is a tripartite development project, jointly funded by the World Bank, French Development Agency and the various participating states. These states are generally referred to as Government of Nigeria. Participation is elective even as the need to satisfy some terms and conditions would be required before enrolment.
The project has an outlay of US $575 million over a tenure of five years. The World Bank would contribute US $280 million; Agence Francaise de Development (French Development Agency) – US $230 million and Government of Nigeria – US $65 million. Eighteen (18) states are currently participating in the scheme. They include Akwa Ibom, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, Plateau, Abia, Kogi, Ogun, Oyo,Kwara and Ondo as well as Ebonyi, Ekiti, Gombe, Kaduna and Niger – all of which recently came on board this year. Each state would receive about 15 percent of the funds as advance at inception, while further allocations would depend on their implementation performance.
The project’s objective is to improve rural access and agricultural marketing of member states, while strengthening the financing and institutional base for effective development, maintenance and management of the rural road network.
RAAMP is a scaled – up project. It came into Nigeria initially as Rural Access and Mobility Project, RAMP in 2008. Only two states – Kaduna and Cross River welcomed it. Five states later keyed-in during its second phase. The states were Imo, Enugu, Osun, Taraba and Niger.
The experience of RAMP-1 revealed the importance of road prioritization, road maintenance and institutional development at the national and sub-national levels. RAMP-2 was therefore designed to leverage on RAMP-1 experience. Many success stories abound, ranging from construction and/or rehabilitation of rural roads to river crossings; capacity building and community empowerment programmes, among other accomplishments. More precisely, strides under RAMP-2 cut across rehabilitation of 1,650 km of rural roads to construction of 65 river crossings. The Task Team Leader, TTL is the World Bank’s country representative. RAAMP had inherited Engr. Tunji Ahmed as TTL from RAMP-2, while two successors had served out their stewardships before the current TTL, Mr. Rakesh Tripathi.
Development of agricultural hubs and marketing became imperative as RAAMP-2 closed out. Wanton cases of post-harvest losses were observed during the second phase of implementing the project. This explains the debut of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, RAAMP to redress such deficiencies and accommodate the agricultural marketing component.
RAAMP is primarily regulated by two deeds – The Project Implementation Manual, PIM and Project Appraisal Document, PAD. They contain operational safeguards which are used alongside other documents to guarantee transparency and best practices for optimum service delivery.
Lessons learnt from RAMP-1 and RAMP-2 have been identified and mitigated in RAAMP. Records indicate that the Federal Government is responsible for 32,000km of roads; state roads – 31,000km, while 131,000km of roads are in the rural areas, with over 92 million inhabitants. Worse echoed is the assertion that 87% of rural roads are in various stages of disrepair. RAAMP was conceived to improve upon these sort of poor situations and other sordid predicaments around the road infrastructure.
Notable remedial actions provided under RAAMP are technical assistance to participating states for more efficiency; integration of the design and build component into one procurement activity such that both jobs are contained in one contract, while a separate consultant would be engaged for supervision purposes. RAAMP encourages competition among participant states. Allocation of funds would thus depend on the agility and performance of states. This would foster efficiency in funds disbursal just as security incidents would be avoided by some security strategies enshrined for adherence at all levels of the project within three – six months of implementation. Above all, civil works took precedence over softer activities in RAMP-2, while road sector reforms were neglected. RAAMP therefore advocates a legislation by State Houses of Assembly for a Rural Access Road Agency, RARA and a State Road Fund, SRF to facilitate a definite model for road maintenance on a sustainable basis across the country.
However, the road towards effectiveness for RAAMP may have been long and tortious, but the benefits imminent from the project tend to compensate stakeholders for their prolonged wait. In other words, dividends accruable from the project tend to outweigh her shortcomings. Earlier plans for RAAMP to become effective had nosedived many times between March, 2018 and 2021. Even when the project was ultimately declared effective by March, 2021, fiscal backing commenced nine months later in December, 2021 with an initial disbursement of 3.5 million Euros by the French Development Agency. Yes, the process may have been quite dull and over – stretched but RAAMP had proven beyond doubts that the project was not a scam after-all. Most appealing is the emphasis on sustaining the projects intervened upon under the scheme. This is to ensure that the roads, markets, hydraulic structures, etc. outlive RAAMP. In fact, the provision for legal instruments to be placed before the Houses of Assembly of participant states for establishment of a Rural Access Roads Agency, RARA and State Road Fund, SRF is aimed at promoting sustainability. Thus a culture of care and protection for public facilities is apt if indeed sustainability for the projects are to be realized.
Some projections for intervention include rehabilitation / backlog maintenance of 2,600 km roads; spot improvement of rural roads – 5,850 km; 9,100 km of rural road maintenance per annum; piloting of 260 km of Performance Based Maintenance Contracts as well as the project’s unwavering interest in agricultural marketing so as to increase net benefits to farmers and other stakeholders.
In Akwa Ibom State, RAAMP has been quite progressive since 2017, when the SPIU was inaugurated. The team swung into action with a study tour of Cross River State RAMP, which had participated in RAMP-1. The aim was to gain from their experience. The benefits of that exercise culminated in the selection of Akwa Ibom among the pilot states for RAAMP in 2017, when the project was initially mooted to be executed in batches across participant states.
Highlights of major achievements by the state include payment of 2.6 million dollars counterpart funds; provision of office accommodation for the project; recruitment of the State Project Implementation Unit, SPIU and other support staff, capacity building programmes as well as successful study and prioritization of 500km roads for intervention under the project across the state.
The State Project Monitoring Committee, SPMC was constituted and inaugurated in March, 2018; study and prioritization of nine agro-logistic hubs; Engagement of Technical Assistants (TAs) on Procurement, Environmental, Social Safeguard and Gender Based Violence; Engagement of a Geographic Information System Specialist, GIS and Data Entry Specialist, DES and pilot demonstration of the Rural Road Maintenance, RRM scheme along the 12.5km Mkpat Enin-Ikot Abasi Ufon-Nkikara-Ikot Abia-Ikot Ekpuk-Ikot Edeghe-Minya road in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area.
The 20.1km Enen Nsit / Utuat Market- Ekponwa Market Hub – Afaha Udoeyop – Owot Uta Junction – Ikot Obio Offong- Afaha Ikot Owop -Obo Etok – Obo Ntong market road was selected to pilot the project’s model of interventions in 2018 by FPMU. Designs for the road, Environmental and Social Management Plan, ESMP and Resettlement Action Plan, RAP had all been completed, awaiting contract awards for construction. A section of the road, from Ikot Obio Offong – Obo Ntong has however been intervened upon and is currently under construction by the State Government.
Similarly, the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel had approved the 11.127km Nsie- Utine- Nduong- Offi Oro Road with a spur to Nsie Mega Cassava Farm in Okobo Local Government Area for AKS-RAAMP to demonstrate it’s acumen, ahead of further tasks under the project. Again, designs have been completed for that stretch, while FPMU recently approved an Environmental and Social screening as well as Resettlement Action Plan, RAP for the road, ahead of award of contract for actual construction works.
A Gender Based Violence mapping has been conducted for the state; Geographic Information System mapping for agro-logistics hubs and their connectivity to rural roads accomplished, while Digitization of other roads and Asset Management is on-going.
Thus the state having been adequately prepared to run the project, a state-wide stakeholders consultation and sensitization workshop on the implementation of RAAMP was organized recently to further explore extensive alternatives to move the project forward in the state. The programme, which had as its theme “Rural Accessibility and Agro-Logistics: A panacea for Socio-Economic Growth in Akwa Ibom State,” ended in the affirmative at Ibom hall on May 26, 2022. All stakeholders had endorsed the project and resolved to close ranks, galvanize efforts, nurture and work concertedly to ensure success of RAAMP in the state.
Against the backdrop of the foregoing, the ball is now in our court. It behoves on all and sundry – government, non governmental organizations, men, women and youths to galvanize support, embrace and own the project for overall best results. The right time is now.
