The Bayelsa State Government has assured the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Programme and other development partners of its commitment to meeting counterpart funding obligations for critical development projects in the state.
The Deputy Governor, Dr Peter Akpe, gave the assurance on Wednesday when officials of RAAMP paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House in Yenagoa.
Akpe reaffirmed the Governor Douye Diri-led administration’s commitment to infrastructural development, particularly road and bridge construction, to improve connectivity across the state despite its challenging terrain.
He said the government had adopted strategic partnerships in executing key development projects, noting that such collaborations had yielded positive results.
The deputy governor acknowledged RAAMP’s role in providing access to rural communities through road construction and improving agricultural activities.
He said the programme would complement the government’s efforts to connect rural communities with the state capital, thereby boosting socio-economic activities.
Akpe urged RAAMP and other development partners implementing counterpart-funded programmes to take the state’s difficult terrain into consideration when preparing their budgets and project plans.
He said, “One of the approaches the Prosperity Government has adopted in its scheme of things is partnership; we are partnering with well-meaning organisations, institutions and individuals. And it has been yielding dividends because we understand the importance of partnership in executing laudable projects and programmes such as yours.
“So, it is not news to us that we are among the states that have met the criteria set for this particular programme. You have listed a lot of conditions we have fulfilled and just very few areas that we are yet to meet.
“But I want to assure you that we will also take care of those areas, including the counterpart funding you mentioned. So, you should not be afraid of that at all. I also want to assure you that our officials are very well experienced and of high integrity.”
Speaking on the state’s infrastructure development, Akpe said, “As a government, we take the construction of roads very seriously. That is one of the areas we give priority attention to. We are building roads and bridges across big rivers, rivulets and swamps.
“And you know that our terrain is a very interesting one. But we are determined to conquer it. So, you have to take that into consideration because most of the time, when you run your budget, or make your project plans and expenditure, you don’t take cognisance of the terrain.
“Nevertheless, we are building major roads across the creeks to link local government headquarters, and that is opening up our state for agriculture and business.
“Your RAAMP Project is to take the roads to our farms. I believe that will boost or complement what we are already doing. And that is why we are jumping at it.”
Earlier, the Team Lead and Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of RAAMP, Chinedu Olisah, said $600m in donor funds was available for distribution among states that met the conditions for participation in the programme.
According to Olisah, $500m of the fund was provided by the World Bank, while the Federal Government would contribute $100m.
He commended the state government for meeting some of the required conditions, including the constitution of the boards of the Bayelsa State Rural Access Roads Authority and Bayelsa State Road Fund.
However, Olisah appealed to the state government to provide a take-off grant to enable the state RARA office to effectively discharge its responsibilities.
He also suggested that the Bayelsa RARA office be merged with the State Road Fund office and stressed the need for the government to meet its counterpart funding obligations.
