Seed companies partnering with the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria), has been reminded to see their role as very critical in meeting up with the objectives of WAAPP, amongst which is the generation, dissemination and adoption of improve varieties of seeds and seedlings.
Acting National Programme Coordinator, Mr. James Ocheme Apochi, made this known at the stakeholders meeting with CORAF/WECARD Technical Audit team on fingerlings and Seeds production companies held in Abuja recently.
Addressing stakeholders during the meeting, Apochi, said the meeting is to appraise the seed and fingerlings activities of the first phase of the project, while urging every participant to be generous with relevant information that could assist the team to achieved its desired mission.
Contributing , Ousmane Ndoye head of CORAF/WECARD Tchnical Audit Team informed the stakeholders ,that their visit was meant to garner lessons learnt, challenges encounteredduring the cause of implementing WAAPP activities along with suggestions for improvement in the future.
On his part,Lucas Akapa a member of the Audit Team highlighted the Terms of Reference of the Audit Team to include level of compliance with financial and procurement procedures and ascertain timely supply of seeds and fingerlings to institutions and farmer beneficiaries alongside validating records at Project Coordination Office among other issues.
The meeting also x-ray the success story of WAAPP-Nigeria activities in the first phase to include, the adoption of WAAPP smoking kiln by other countries, WAAPP technologies for fish seed production, integrated rice cum fish- poultry widely adopted by WAAPP countries to include Mali, Senegal, Cote D’ ivoire and Ghana.