The Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project has signed an amended Memorandum of Understanding worth $12,347,071.44 with its implementing partner, Sasakawa Africa Association, for the procurement of agricultural machinery to enhance mechanisation and boost food security in the state.
The contract covers the provision of tractors, combine harvesters, and other specialised equipment for land preparation, planting, harvesting, and processing.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Project Communication Specialist, Ameen Yassar, a copy of which was made available to PUNCH Online on Thursday.
Speaking shortly after signing the agreement, KSADP State Project Coordinator Ibrahim Muhammad explained that the contract also includes the supply of “planters, transplanters, boom sprayers, and harvesting equipment.”
He added, “Others are solar-powered water pumping machines, rice milling equipment, onion storage technology, and land preparation equipment, among others.
“The amended MoU is aimed at supporting the government of Kano State in its effort to transform agriculture from the use of crude implements to mechanised farming, thereby increasing the productivity and production of smallholder farmers in the state through precision and reduction of post-harvest losses.”
Muhammad noted that KSADP, funded by the Islamic Development Bank, the Lives and Livelihoods Fund, and the Kano State Government, is leveraging the expertise of the Sasakawa Africa Association to achieve its objectives of revamping agriculture and reducing poverty. He said the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, the Kano State Development Plan, and the Islamic Development Bank’s development strategy.
Also speaking, the Kano State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Danjuma Mahmoud, described the initiative as a major step towards modernising agriculture in the state and making it more attractive to young people.
On his part, the Country Director of SAA Nigeria, Dr. Godwin Atser, said the agreement marked a significant milestone in the state’s agricultural transformation agenda, describing the five-year relationship between his organisation and KSADP as a remarkable success.
