The Lagos State government has appealed to the World Bank to extend the Agro-processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) project in the state beyond the September 2023 deadline in view of its positive impact on farmers.
Abisola Olusanya, the commissioner for agriculture, made the appeal on Monday, saying that about 8,000 farmers, mostly women and youths, have benefitted from the project in the last five years.
Olusanya, who received a team from the World Bank and APPEALS project who were in Lagos for the 9th implementation support mission, reassured them of the continued support of the Lagos State government.
The APPEALS is a Lagos State and World Bank-assisted project in conjunction with the Federal Government aimed at enhancing the agricultural productivity of small and medium-scale farmers and improving value addition along priority value chains – poultry, aquaculture and rice.
Olusanya during the visit also presented cheques to five farmers as insurance benefits over the recent loss in their poultry farm as a result of Avian influenza, which led to the death of their birds. She commended the Lagos State APPEALS project, saying it has made the most impact compared to previous agricultural projects and programmes.
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“I want to believe that if there is a possibility, this project should continue in all sincerity and if you don’t want to continue it nationally, you can just continue and look at Lagos State as a special project. I think Lagos deserves a special intervention because the team handling this project is still one of the best.
“We want to thank you (World Bank and APPEALS National Coordinating Office) for being very supportive of the Lagos State APPEALS project, hoping that we will continue to have the support from now till the end of the project and if there is a possibility of extending it, I want to assure you that the Lagos State government under Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu is ready to cooperate,” she said.
Speaking during the visit, Manievel Sene, the task team leader from World Bank, commended the Lagos State project coordinator of APPEALS, Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo, and her team for the job they have done. He said Lagos was among the leading states in Nigeria based on an overall overview of APPEALS project.
He said the World Bank will look at another project to scale up the achievements of the APPEALS project. “We are on the same page on how we can look at another project to scale up the achievements of the APPEALS project. We are ready for a new project that will build on APPEALS,” he said.
The visit was part of the five-day event of the APPEALS project 9th implementation support mission of the World Bank and the Federal Government of Nigeria, to Lagos State.
