Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State has presented the sum of three billion Naira (3,000,000,000) to over 2,381 direct beneficiaries in over 170 groups from 80 communities impacted by climate change.
The sum was under the Community Revolving Fund of the Agro-climate Resilience in Semi-arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project in partnership with the World Bank Group.
Presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries on Monday at the state Government House in Lokoja, Ododo said the Community Revolving Fund is in line with his administration’s commitment to ensure food security and sustainable agricultural practices in the State.
Governor Ododo who assured that the Kogi State government under his watch, will continue to provide an enabling environment for the success and sustenance of the ACReSAL project, noted that the effort is in furtherance of the development agenda of the state to increase the adoption of sustainable landscape management, and to strengthen the long-term framework for integrated climate resilience landscape management and effective agricultural practices across communities across the 21 local government areas of the state.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for giving priority to sustainable agriculture practices and for his unwavering commitment to enhancing the welfare of families in all parts of Nigeria.
The Governor urged the benefiting groups and communities to utilize the fund with diligence and to demonstrate the ability to ensure that other members of the community continue to benefit from the project.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Environment and Ecological Management, Engineer Joseph Oluwasegun, said the Community Revolving Fund seeks to place Kogi state on the map of states where food security and sufficiency are guaranteed in Nigeria.
Earlier in her address, the State Coordinator of AcreSal, Barrister Ladi Ahmed Jatto said the Community Revolving Fund (CRF) is an interest-free investment fund which began with the first phase of its disbursement in June 2024 with over 2,381 direct beneficiaries.
She emphasized that the second phase of the disbursement is a justification of the effective utilization of the first phase and the overall performance of the Kogi state government as ad-judged by the World Bank Task Team.
She called on beneficiaries to make the best use of the fund, adding that the fund is a loan from the World Bank under guaranteed repayment by the state government.
