The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project, (L- PRES), a World Bank project has empowered 500 women and youth to boost poultry production in Kogi state.
Speaking during an interactive session of Kogi L-PRES women and youth credit support beneficiaries with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo in Government House Lokoja on Tuesday, the governor promised to continue injecting resources into world bank projects that will benefit the people of the State.
Governor Ododo said the L-PRES is a world bank project with a six life span to improve livestock productivity, resilience and commercialization of selected value chains aimed at strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to an eligible crisis or emergency.
The governor described the project as a giant stride in Nigeria with a core objective of driving towards food security and economic prosperity.
He stated that the project aligns with his administration’s short, medium and long term plan to make Kogi State the epic center of livestock production in the country.
Governor Ododo who urged all the beneficiaries to make the best use of the opportunity to transform the livestock industry into reality in the state, stressed that there is no better time than now to channel resources and commitment to food security in Kogi state.
While announcing the donation of one hundred thousand naira (#100,000) to each of the beneficiaries of the project as logistic support for their various businesses, Governor Ododo assured that the service provider will be mobilized to supply the input to enable the participants commence operations.
In his speech the Kogi state coordinator of L-PRES , Dr. Olufemi Bolarin, said the 500 women and youth were carefully selected across the 21 local government areas of the state to take the advantage of the project in improving their livelihoods and that of their family members.
He expressed optimism that the project will create self employment around the rural areas of the state, noting that the L-PRES will provide all the needed items to the beneficiaries to enable them succeed.
He however, revealed that L-PRES will offered day old chicks (DOCs), feeds, drugs and vaccines as input for beneficiaries of broiler production while those in egg production gets Point of Lay (POL), feeds and drugs.
Dr Bolarin further disclosed that beneficiaries in the marketing and processing, will also get preservation equipment (deep freezer), Generator set, stabilizer, table size broiler birds and packaging bags.
In his remarks , the state Commissioner for agriculture and food security, Timothy Ojomah, explained that the selection of the beneficiaries was done with utmost sincerity and assured that his ministry will ensure that the project succeed in the state
He commended Ododo for his massive investment and support for agricultural sector , noting that the effort will no doubt pave ways for availabilities of food in the state.
Also speaking, the Technical Adviser to the Governor of Kogi state on Multilateral and Donor-funded Projects, Dr. Abdullahi Sani Ozomata, described the project as a rare opportunity and urged the beneficiaries to owned it and handle it with care with a view to develop themselves through the project.