Date: 2021-03-19

Kwara State government has announced plans to digitise farmers data collection in order to attain the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) for agricultural development in the state.

The special adviser to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on agriculture, AbdulWuawiy Olododo disclosed this in Ilorin, the state capital during a joint sector review and biennial review report on the implementation of CAADP.

The review was organised by Public Financing of Agriculture (PFA), funded by ActionAid Nigeria, and implemented in six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Olododo stressed the need for data collection to enable the state to meet the CAADP commitment of allocating 10 percent of its annual budget to agriculture to guarantee six per cent annual growth in the sector.

"From the agriculture transformation plan that we unveiled, the first programme is the farmers' data bank because we know the importance of having a data bank," he stated.

Olododo added that credible and reliable data was also needed to roll out any intervention programme by the government. PFA project coordinator in Kwara State, Mr AbdulRahman Ayuba, said the joint sector review was a key instrument for promoting mutual accountability.

"It aims to assess how well state and non-state stakeholders implemented pledges and commitments stipulated in the CAADP compacts".

IIt creates a platform to assess the performance and results of the agriculture sector and in turn assist the government in setting sector policy and priorities".

"We are holding this state-level dialogue on the implementation of CAADP for the purposes of agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and nutrition, economic growth and prosperity for all," he said.