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An agreement worth US $68.5 million to help the governments of eight northern Nigerian states to address rural poverty was signed on Tuesday at the headquarters of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome.
A statement from IFAD said the programme to be funded under the agreement would identify the neediest people and empower them to participate effectively in development activities in the states of Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe, Kano and Borno. The overall goal is to improve the livelihoods and living conditions of poor rural communities, with special emphasis on women and other vulnerable groups, the statement said.
The Community-Based Agricultural and Rural Development Programme would use resources from IFAD, federal, state and local governments, and the community in at least 234 villages in the eight states, IFAD said.
It will cover five main types of activities: community awareness; empowerment and capacity building; sustainable agricultural development; rural micro-enterprise and financial support services; and community infrastructure at the village level, IFAD added.
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