Abakaliki: The Ebonyi Government has announced the successful payment of its N300 million counterpart fund to the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (IFAD) assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) since 2023. This development was revealed by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mrs. Nkechinyere Iyioku, during a pre-mission stakeholders’ meeting focused on evaluating the VDCP project’s performance.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the evaluation exercise is being conducted by IFAD’s Independent Evaluation Office. Mrs. Iyioku stated that the government disbursed N100 million for the fund in 2023 and followed with N200 million in 2024. She assured that the counterpart fund for 2025 would soon be released, as the state government is pleased with the progress of IFAD-VCDP in enhancing agriculture within Ebonyi.
The commissioner expressed confidence that the evaluation team would rate Ebonyi as the top performer among other states, such as Nasarawa and Niger, included in the evaluation. She emphasized that while not in competition, Ebonyi has made significant strides to earn such recognition. Mrs. Iyioku also urged IFAD-VCDP to expand its operations from eight to all 13 local government areas in the state, citing demands from stakeholders in the remaining five LGAs.
Usman Damata, the leader of the IFAD pre-mission team, highlighted the independent nature of the evaluators, who aim to determine IFAD’s success in meeting its objectives. He mentioned that the evaluators’ reports are confidential and only shared with the IFAD board. Damata expressed optimism about Ebonyi’s assessment, noting its potential impact on the South-East zone, particularly in Anambra and Enugu, and across Nigeria.
Mr. Sunday Ituma, the state’s IFAD-VCDP Programme Manager, explained that the meeting was designed to prepare stakeholders and farmers for the evaluation by sharing responses to expected questions. He emphasized the importance of honest and fair assessments during the evaluation process.
The event also featured goodwill messages from the state’s Ministry of Finance, the House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture, and various agro dealers, further underscoring the collaborative efforts to enhance agricultural development in the region.