By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
In a bid to strengthen grassroots agricultural development and ensure long-term impact, the Bauchi State Project Management Unit (SPMU) of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project has convened a strategic engagement with the Directors of Agriculture and SISDev Desk officers from the Twenty Local Government Areas on the effective utilization and performance of tractors distributed under the project.
Speaking at the session, the State Project Coordinator, Dr. Ibrahim Kabir emphasized the critical roles of local government officials, especially the Directors of Agriculture and the Desk officers in the success of the ACReSAL initiatives.
He charged them to work in synergy and with transparency to ensure proper implementation, local ownership, and sustainability of the interventions.
Ibrahim Kabir reminded participants that the project is funded through a loan arrangement, which makes accountability and judicious resource management non-negotiable.
“This project must be handled with the utmost care to ensure long-term benefits for the people and a smooth repayment process. If managed well, it will be a win-win for everyone,” he said.
In his remarks, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, on ACReSAL Alhaji Adamu Abubakar Barde, called on the participants to consider the engagement as an avenue to strengthen their commitments and synergy between ACReSAL’s project stakeholders at the local level, reiterating the commitments of the current administration in improving the livelihoods of people in the state.
In her part, the Executive Director, SISDev, Madam Titi Yakubu while applauding the SPMU’s commitments to service delivery and enhancing productivity, appreciated the opportunity given to the Desk officers to contribute their quota, especially for providing an enabling environment for the Desk officers to effectively perform their assigned duties and responsibilities.
The engagement also served as a platform for the stakeholders to interact directly, share experiences, and propose practical solutions tailored to their specific challenges.
This was aimed at deepening understanding and improving coordination for better results at the grassroots.
The participants expressed delights for the interaction, affirming their commitments to the success of the project in their respective LGAs, called for more engagement to further strengthen cordial relationship between the project’s office and the local government areas.
During the engagement, the SPMU distributed laptop computers to the Desk officers and mobile phones to Information officers of twenty LGAs for effective service delivery, cautioning them to make the good use of the gadgets for broader benefits of the project.
Additionally, the meeting addressed issues such as tractor utilization rates, the need for additional operators, reporting techniques, effectiveness and structuring of tractor management committees, tracking of the tractors to ensure safety and productivity, operational challenges, and adherence to maintenance of guidelines.
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