Not fewer than fifty participants have been selected from the 20 local government areas of Bauchi state, with Bauchi LG having five slots, including the university community, security, the media, and government officials, to participate in the proposed Bauchi State Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ), Phase II project.
The disclosure was made by the State Ministry of Agriculture during a Stakeholders’ Scoping Workshop on the Proposed Bauchi State Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ), Phase II project, held on Saturday at the Conference Hall of the State Agricultural Development Project (BSADP).
Speaking at the event, the State Commissioner of Agriculture, Professor Simon Madugu Yalams, said that SAPZ is one of the projects introduced by the African Development Bank (ADB) to boost agriculture and promote food availability and security.
Represented by the Special Adviser to Governor Bala Mohammed on Agriculture, Dr Iliyasu Aliyu Gital, the Commissioner explained that based on the performance of the SAPZ and the quality of the proposed project, other banks, such as the Arab Development Bank and the International Bank for Agricultural Development, are also funding the project.
He noted that, as a concise project, SAPZ cannot be started without ensuring that the concerned people are fully aware and educated about it.
According to him, “The purpose of the workshop today is to sensitise the stakeholders—the farmers, the locations, and the communities that are going to benefit—to know that the project is coming.”
Simon Yalams added that the workshop will also give the participants the opportunity to know what is expected of them and their environment, particularly at this time when the project is taking environmental assessment into consideration.
“This is because any project has an environmental impact; therefore, we want to assess what the negative impact of the project is going to cause to the environment and what environmental issues the project will benefit from. So today we will discuss them, and if there are any problems with the project, we will know how to mitigate them,” the commissioner said.
He further explained that without meeting with the people that are in the communities, the problems would not be known for possible solutions before the project takes off.
He stressed that “if there is anything that we think will bring problems to the community in the future, we will bring it up today so that we can trash it.
“The community will know that yes, as a result of this project, things are going to happen, but we have devised a way of mitigating them.”
The Commissioner said that during the course of the project, the participants are expected to play some identified roles to ensure it is fully utilised by the people it is meant for.
He stated that Bauchi State, being among the two states selected from the Six States of the North, will work together with the consultants to ensure that all the standards set for the project are met by Bauchi State.
“Our Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, is very forthcoming and proactive; he has done his part and will still continue to do so, but what is left for us now and the consultant is to make sure that all the standards that are set have been met,” he said.
The Commissioner stressed that, “Like you have heard from one of us, the university has to be involved, and the army has to be involved. So, to make sure that we are selected, each and every individual that is going to be affected by this project must be consulted, have his consent, and have a positive contribution that is going to be made.”
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