The Ebonyi State Government has announced the full payment of its ₦300 million counterpart funding to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) since 2023.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mrs Nkechinyere Iyioku, made this known in Abakaliki during a pre-mission stakeholders’ meeting held to assess the performance of the VCDP. The evaluation is being conducted by IFAD’s Independent Evaluation Office.
According to Iyioku, the state disbursed ₦100 million in 2023 and a further ₦200 million in 2024. She added that the 2025 counterpart fund would be released shortly, as the state government remains impressed with the programme’s impact.
“IFAD–VCDP has made significant contributions to the advancement of agriculture in Ebonyi, and the state government is always willing to strengthen its partnership with the programme,” she said.
The commissioner expressed confidence that Ebonyi would emerge top among the states selected for the evaluation, which also includes Nasarawa and Niger.
“We are not in competition with anyone, but we believe our performance merits the top position,” she said.
She also appealed to IFAD–VCDP to expand its operations to all 13 local government areas of the state, rather than the current eight.
“Stakeholders from the remaining five LGAs have been calling for inclusion in IFAD’s intervention, and we cannot continue making mere assurances,” she added.
The leader of the IFAD pre-mission team, Usman Damata, explained that the evaluators work independently and are solely accountable to the IFAD Board.
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“We at the National Office are pleased that Ebonyi was selected for this evaluation because we are aware of the positive work being carried out in the state.
“We are optimistic that the team will deliver a favourable assessment of Ebonyi.
“The outcome of this evaluation will also influence IFAD’s work in the South-East, particularly in Anambra and Enugu, as well as in the country at large,” he said.
The Ebonyi State Programme Manager for IFAD–VCDP, Mr Sunday Ituma, noted that the meeting was convened to share the responses provided by stakeholders and farmers in anticipation of the evaluation questions.
“This will guide them, as their responses will directly influence the evaluators’ findings.
“We are only seeking fair assessment and constructive criticism, not misrepresentation,” he stated.
The event featured goodwill messages from the state Ministry of Finance, the House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture, agro-dealers, and other stakeholders.
