“AKS-RAAMP will target completion of ongoing projects in 2025 “- Pst Gideon Akpan
The Akwa Ibom State Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, AKS-RAAMP has declared that primary attention would be targeted at increased drive, supervision and an intentional implementation of all ongoing jobs already awarded under the project this year.
The State Project Coordinator of AKS-RAAMP, Pastor Gideon Akpan made the declaration recently during his maiden new year meeting with staff of the project, Friday January 10, 2025 stressing that “this year will witness very little introduction of new projects, where absolutely necessary, while non tangible activities would be reduced to the barest minimum.”
“This is to allow us pursue the realisation of our 202 kilometres of roads and three agro-logistics centers which had earlier been awarded and are currently at various ongoing stages of progress with a view to strengthening fillip on the contractors to redouble their efforts and push the jobs through.”
The coordinator ascribed all the attainments recorded by the project to what he described as the enormous investment and support granted by the State Governor: Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, pointing out that these had culminated in AKS-RAAMP exceeding her projected implementation milestones in 2024, receiving commendations from the World Bank and the Federal Project Management Unit, FPMU for the feat.
His words: “We recently attended a policy meeting of RAAMP at Abuja last December ‘2024, led by the Hon. Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Offiong Offor and accompanied by the Permanent Secretary / Chairman: State Project Monitoring Committee (SPMC), Mrs. Rosemary Ubia, where AKS-RAAMP was singled-out, honoured and applauded for scoring 110 percent in her implementation performance milestones between the last World Bank Mission held in June and the policy meeting date in December ‘2024.”
Pastor Akpan sued for the continued support and cooperation of the staff to ensure an all-round success for the Umo Eno administration and the ARISE agenda in the general interest of the state.
It could be recalled that AKS-RAAMP had last year awarded contracts for the construction of 16.55 kilometers of roads in Okobo and Ini Local Government Areas, under the upgrading component of the project, just as 71.166 kilometers of jobs were awarded in two phases of the backlog maintenance intervention component as well as the award of contracts for the physical improvement of three markets into standard agro-logistics centers across the state.
When completed, the markets would be handed over to the respective Communities and Local Government Areas for management, equipped with complete perimeter fencing, gate houses, parking lots, banking facilities, lock up shops, restaurants, cold storage facilities, water, uninterrupted power supply, sick bay, abattoir, etc. The markets are: Ekponwa market in Nsit Ibom; Atabong beach market in Okobo; and Naira market in Ikono Local Government Areas respectively.
Meanwhile, the 11 kilometer Owotuta – Nung Oku Ekere – Afaha Udo Eyop – Edeobom – Utuat market junction demonstration rural road in Ibesikpo Asutan and Nsit Ibom Local Government Areas, which had had earlier been awarded in 2023 is currently at an advanced stage of completion very soon.
Similarly, contracts for the construction of 110.92 kilometers of road under the spot improvement component had also been awarded last year, equally at various stages of progress. However, due the thin scope of works involved in that portfolio vis-à-vis the ecology and peculiar wetland terrain of the state, an upward review had been granted to align the scope with the perculia environmental peculiarities of the state for best results.
