RAAMP: FG reiterates essence of strategic communications for prompt delivery
The Federal Government has again reiterated on the importance of strategic communication among all stakeholders as a vital ingredient to ensure prompt and effective delivery of the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, RAAMP by respective participant states across the country.
National Coordinator of RAAMP, Engr. Aminu Bodinga Mohammed made the renewed advocacy during the 6th Implementation Support Mission / Mid-Term Review of the Project recently at Abuja.
Mohammed who re-emphasized his advocacy for a systematic and sustainable sensitisation / engagement of all stakeholders, reasoned that such would not only accord RAAMP the visibility it deserves but would further facilitate adequate creation of awareness among the general public against misinformation or outright falsehood about the Project.
He also stressed on the essence of teamwork among stakeholders to further strengthen and add fillip to the overall success story of the project.
In his remarks, the Task Team Leader of World Bank, Engr. Olatunji Ahmed explained that the cardinal objective of the Mission / Mid-term Review was to evaluate the strengths, successes as well as challenges facing all participating states, with a view to exploring lasting solutions to them, pointing out that various brainstorming sessions in the course of the exercise would ensure that all project activities under RAAMP would be delivered on schedule and with the right quality.
On his part, the Task Team Leader of the French Development Agency, Mr. Francois Giroudy, expressed concern over the relatively slow pace of the project’s implementation process and hoped that the mission would find lasting solutions to all identified gaps so as to fast-track the development of rural communities across the country.
Highlights of the programme were presentations by State Project Coordinators, SPCs of the participating states as well as questions and answer sessions among other indices.
In his presentation, the State Project Coordinator of Akwa Ibom RAAMP, Pastor Gideon Akpan enumerated some of his team’s accomplishments across the three components in the project to include: ongoing evaluation for consultancy services for the preparation of Resettlement Action Plan, RAP for roads across the 31 Local Government Areas, LGAs in the state; Terms of Reference, TOR cleared for Environmental and Social Management Plan, ESMP in 24 LGAs; ongoing review of RAP for upgrading of 11.127 km Nsie – Uruting road in Okobo LGA; and the ongoing implementation of updated ESMP / RAP for the 11 km Demonstration Road.
Others are TOR for the engagement of consultancy firm for the preparation of ESMP for improvement of two Agro-Logists Centres, ALCs – Ekponwa and Atabong beach markets as well as the ongoing evaluation of consultants for the preparation of ESMP / RAP for the markets. He further said his team was also in the process of procuring Technical Assistant on Environmental Safeguard and Gender Based Violence for the project.
The Akwa Ibom team was led to the mission by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development / Chairman of the State Project Monitoring Committee, SPMC, Mrs. Mary Ukoette Bassey.
