By Felicia Imohimi
The Federal Government has urged the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) to strengthen implementation and extend its benefits to more livestock farmers and communities.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, gave the advice on Monday in Yola, Adamawa, while declaring open the FGN/World Bank L-PRES Implementation Support Mission, scheduled for Oct. 5 to Oct. 10.
Maiha, commended the project for its progress and impact across participating states.
He said L-PRES had become an important part of the Federal Government’s efforts to transform Nigeria’s livestock sector, with interventions already making a difference.
“What we are seeing from L-PRES across the participating states is encouraging. The interventions are visible, the impact is being felt, hence more states are showing interest in joining the project.
“Our responsibility now is to build on these achievements, strengthen implementation and ensure that the benefits reach more livestock farmers and communities.
“I urge the project teams to use the mission to take a closer look at implementation, address areas requiring improvement and ensure that investments translate into sustainable results for farmers and other value-chain actors.”
Dr Manievel Sene, World Bank Task Team Leader for L-PRES, said the mission was centred on socialisation, orientation, learning and updating progress on project implementation.
Sene said the mission provided an opportunity to review implementation, share experiences and lessons, address emerging challenges and agree on practical steps to strengthen project delivery.
“It provides an important platform for federal and state teams to learn from one another, discuss what is working, identify areas that require greater attention and use lessons from implementation to improve delivery.”
In his welcome address, the National Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Dr Sanusi Abubakar, said the mission came at an important stage of project implementation.
Abubakar said L-PRES was recording progress across key areas of the livestock value chain, including animal health services, livestock infrastructure, water provision, pasture and feed development, production systems and market access.
He said the growing interest from additional states was encouraging but also placed greater responsibility on the project to maintain quality and improve implementation.
“As more states show interest in L-PRES, expectations are also growing. We have to maintain the quality of our work, strengthen implementation and ensure that every intervention delivers real and lasting value.
“This mission gives us the opportunity to look at where we are, what is working and where we need to improve.
“We must be open about the challenges we face, learn from one another and remain focused on delivering results that livestock farmers and communities can see and feel,” he said.
Abubakar commended the minister for his leadership and continued support, as well as the World Bank, federal institutions, participating state governments and project teams for their collaboration and commitment.
He said the six-day implementation support mission would feature technical sessions, progress reviews and discussions aimed at addressing implementation challenges, strengthening coordination and accelerating delivery across participating states. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
FUA/TAK
Edited by Tosin Kolade
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