By Collins Yakubu-Hammer
National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) and National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to engage refugees, migrants and displaced persons on agricultural production.
NALDA Executive Secretary, Mr Cornelius Adebayo, said at the event in Abuja on Wednesday, that the MoU was under the Renewed Hope Restoration Project.
Adebayo explained that the project was designed to enhance agricultural value chain among refugees, migrants and IDPs for sustainable means of income and food security in the country.
According to him, the project will empower refugees, migrants and IDPs to actively engage in agricultural production and contribute to economic development.
“The project will provide vocational training on modern farming techniques, access to land, inputs, financing, equipment, and infrastructural development as well as facilitate market linkage and technical support.
“It will also help the targeted beneficiaries to transform challenges into opportunities, turn barren fields into fertile grounds for growth, prosperity, hope and break the cycle of dependency.”
The NALDA boss said that the authority was on a mission to empower people through agriculture in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He said: “Today, we are extending that mission to those who have been displaced by conflicts, disaster and hardship.
Also, Malam Aliyu Ahmed, Federal Commissioner, NCFRMI, said that the project would usher a new beginning in the quest to provide sustainable solutions to challenges affecting IDPs and refugees in the country.
Ahmed noted that agriculture remained the mainstay of the nation’s economy, adding that it contributes more than 65 per cent of the nation’s GDP.
He added that the sector was fostering economic development, increasing local market participation, and enhancing food security and nutrition.
He explained that under the MoU, NALDA would be responsible for the provision of arable land for farming while NCFRMI would organise the about 6.4 million IDPs to be engaged in agricultural production.
“We are confident that this collaboration will be mutually beneficial to all,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event attracted officials from the National Assembly, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Agriculture, Nirsal Microfinance Bank and many other relevant stakeholders. (NAN)