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The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) will continue to engage Nigeria on its strategic priorities areas such as economic and social infrastructure, the President of the bank, Dr Muhammad Aljasseer has said.
Aljaseer made this known while briefing newsmen while visiting project sites in Kano State on Tuesday.
The president, who said that it was his first time visiting Nigeria or sub-saharan Africa, commended the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) for meeting the expectations of the bank, which is the sponsor of the project whose objective is to reduce poverty by strengthening food security in Kano.
He said that the project funded by the bank and the Lives and Livelihood Funds (LLF), has contributed to poverty reduction and strengthened food and nutrition security in the state.
“The bank has been monitoring Kano’s performance.
I am impressed that you are working very hard to meet the bank’s expectations.
”The IsDB has approved a total financing of 1.8 billion dollars for Nigeria.
”The 1.8 billion dollars facility for Nigeria is made up of 971 million dollars for project financing by the bank, and about 288 million dollars provided by the Islamic Corporation for Development (ICD)–IsDB’s private sector affiliate,” he said.
He further said that 477 million dollars was in form of trade operations by its trade arm, the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) and 90 million dollars from other funds and operations.
“Our investment guarantee arm has provided 1.1 billion dollars as business insured and 1 billion dollars as a new insurance commitment to help attract businesses and insure them.
“The IsDB active portfolio in Nigeria now stands at 1.2 billion dollars and we look forward to strengthening our bilateral relations.
“The bank is keen to continue to engage Nigeria on its strategic priorities areas such as economic and social infrastructure and advisory support for strengthening Islamic financial services,” he added.
Aljasser also inaugurated Veterinary Reference laboratory renovated and equipped by KSADP at Gwale Veterinary Clinic, in Kano.
The president also visited Watari dam infrastructure, renovated by KSADP, with funding from the IsDB and the LLF.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) has awarded N6 billion contract for construction of irrigation infrastruture and milk collection centres across the state.
The projects would be sited across 16 local government areas of the state, a statement by the Project Communications Specialist, Ameen Yassar, said on Saturday in Kano.
He listed the projects to include development of 1,006 hectares irrigation structures at Sector 9-14 under Watari Irrigation Scheme in Bagwai LGA and construction of 40 dairies at different locations across 15 LGAs.
According to Yassar, the Watari infrastructure projects will cost N4.5 billion while construction of 40 milk collection centers would gulp N1.4 billion.
He said the project is being implemented with support of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) under its Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF)
LLF is part of a broad vision to enhance agricultural productivity, ensure food and nutrition security as well as improving income generation for pastoralists and small holder farmers.
He said the projects, awarded to eight indigenous contractors commenced in September, 2022, and expected to be completed between September and December, 2023.
“The investment is predicted to impact thousands of farmers and pastoralists, thus revitalising the economy of Kano State,” he said.
The statement quoted the Project Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad as saying that the move was a significant step towards revamping agriculture in the state.
“These interventions, which would soon be followed by other activities, will surely bring about change in the agricultural fortunes of Kano State, and lift significant number of our people out of poverty,” he said.
The Coordinator urged the contractors to abide by the contractual guidelines to deliver value for money.
It also quoted the Managing Director, Kano State Rural Development Authority (KNARDA), Dr Junaidu Muhammad as saying that a strong monitoring mechanism had been put in place to ensure effective supervision of the projects.
He warned them against poor quality work, adding that erring contractors would be sanctioned.
“Justify the confidence reposed in you by providing excellent services that would lead to achieving the organisation’s objectives”.
NewsSourceCredit: NAN
The Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) (https://ISFD.IsDB.org), with representatives from IsDB and other donors, visited Tajikistan in support of the country's health sector.
The visit focused on the "Improving Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) in the Republic of Tajikistan" project, funded by ISFD in addition to the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) , the King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Aid Center (KSRelief) and the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).
The project is implemented through the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) and executed by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population (MHSP) of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The project aims to save the lives of mothers and their newborns and children under 5 years of age in four districts of the Khatlon region with a population of almost 5 million.
The components of the Project include, i) Provision of equipment, medical supplies and development of infrastructure for health facilities; ii) Development of institutional capacity and human resources through studies and interrelated training courses; iii) Mobilization of the community and support for awareness campaigns.
By 2030, the planned impact of this project includes: reducing maternal mortality from 45 to 25 per 100,000 live births (LB), under-5 mortality from 43 to 25 per 1,000 LB, infant mortality from 34 to 20 per 1000 LB and neonatal mortality mortality from 19 to 16 per 1000 LB.
On September 5, the representatives of the donors, including ISFD, visited 2 districts in the Khatlon region, namely Danghara and Norak, where they followed the implementation of the project on the ground.
The visit focused on rural health centers and health houses that benefited from equipment and training, as well as the construction and renovation sites of Danghara Polyclinic and Norak Central District Hospital.
ISFD and other donors also engaged with local communities and sought their input on the services provided under the project within these densely populated yet geographically challenging environments.
Dr. Hiba Ahmed, Director General of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) stated: “Although still in the implementation phase, the LLF project in Tajikistan has made remarkable steps towards improvement of maternity conditions and reduction of infant mortality and morbidity rates in the country.
Khatlon region.
The project complements the country's efforts to develop an effective health sector that can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 3 to "ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages."
ISFD looks forward to seeing the project fully implemented with far-reaching and positive impacts on the lives of beneficiaries, especially those living in rural areas and hard-to-reach communities.” Dr. Hiba Ahmed also expressed the gratitude of ISFD and IsDB to the Government of Tajikistan, the different stakeholders and the ministries that support this very important project, especially the Ministries of Finance, Health and Economic Development and Trade.
The hospitality of the country made this visit a great success.
Kano State Agro Pastoral Development Project (KSADP), has trained 220 Community Animal Health Workers to enhance access to quality veterinary services across the state.
This is contained in a statement by the project’s Communication Specialist, Ameen Yassar, on Saturday in Kano.
He said the workers were trained by KSADP with funding from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Lives and Livelihood Funds (LLF).
He said that the exercise was conducted in collaboration with Smartex Global Resources Ltd.
The statement quoted Dr Garba Saleh, KSADP’s Livestock Specialist, as saying that the training exercise was designed to expose the Community Animal Health Workers to veterinary techniques in line with international best practices.
“The expected outcomes from the training include improvement of animal health and maximising animal products, growth of income generation from livestock, better access to markets and eventually, securing the livelihoods of pastoralists and rural dwellers,” Saleh said in the statement.
The statement also quoted the KSADP’s State Project Coordinator, Malam Ibrahim Garba, as saying that the gestur was to make veterinary services available at the grassroots, adding that efficient extension service delivery required private sector involvement.
The Coordinator said that the workers were expected to link breeders to animal insemination services, connect pastoralists to vet clinics even as they would be mentored and guided by professionals, employed by the State Ministry of Agriculture.
The statement further quoted the Permanent Secretary, Kano State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Balarabe Karaye, as saying that the workers would be supervised by veterinarians to assist in periodic livestock vaccination campaigns.
“For quality assurance of their services, KSADP would register them with the Veterinary Council of Nigeria to enable them to get professional practice license.”
The statement said the workers had been provided with a starter park including protective clothing, tool and cold boxes, assorted drugs and branded hand bags, adding that they were expected to offer services for a fee, thus, enabling them to get some income and restock.
NAN reports that KSADP is being implemented with the support of IsDB, LLF and the Kano State government.
It is aim to contribute towards poverty reduction, strengthening food and nutritional security of the state by transforming the agro-pastoral production system.
RSA
(NAN)
The Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP), has awarded a contract, worth N68 million, for construction of a Veterinary Reference laboratory at Gwale Veterinary Clinic. Mr Ameen Yassar, the project’s communications specialist, said this in a statement to newsmen on Thursday in Kano. “Veterinary reference laboratories are service facilities where several vital functions related to veterinary sciences, such as the diagnosis, determination of treatment options, prevention, and monitoring of animal diseases are undertaken. “The laboratory plays key role in animal health protection by preventing and controlling livestock diseases. “Vet reference laboratories have major implications on human health because of the animal to human transmission of diseases,” he said. Yassar said the contract for the Kano Vet laboratory was awarded to an indigenous firm, Golden Ripples Construction Company Nigeria Limited, with a completion period of 12 months. Also, the State Project Coordinator, KSADP, Malam Ibrahim Muhammad, said the project is the first of its kind in Northern Nigeria. He said it was aimed at securing both livestock and human health in view of the large population of livestock and the increasing demand for animal-derived foods in the state. “When completed, the facility will not only serve Kano but all the neighboring states. “It will drastically cut the cost of managing animal health problems in our communities,” he said. According to Ibrahim, one of the key activities of the KSADP is to enhance livestock health, productivity and production, and this intervention is one of the activities in that regard. The Managing Director, Golden Ripples Construction Company, Dr. Ibrahim Alkali, said that professional standards would be adhered to in executing the project. He said that the edifice would be a model for other states. While handing over the site for the construction of the Veterinary laboratory, the Permanent Secretary, Kano State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Balarabe Karaye, charged the contractors to deliver qualitative work promptly. NAN reports that KSADP is a project of the Islamic Development Bank, Lives and livelihood Funds (LLF) and the Kano State government. Its primary objective is to contribute to reducing poverty and strengthening the food and nutritional security of the State by developing agro-pastoral production systems. (NAN)
