START-UP WORKSHOP OF IFAD/FGN VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (VCDP) HELD ON 19TH AUGUST 2014 AT THE ROCKVIEW CLASSIC HOTEL, ABUJA.
The Workshop was a
start – up workshop to familiarize the key programme staff at the state and
Federal Staff levels with some key requirements for implantation of the VCDP. In attendance was the Country Programme
Manager Atsuko Toda, Representatives of the Federal Ministry of Finance,
Director of Rural Development, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural
Development, Hon. Commissioners for Agriculture and their respective Permanent
Secretaries from the participating States of Ogun, Niger, Ebonyi, Anambra,
Benue and Taraba and the Programme Managers of ADPs of the participating states.
The VCDP
management unit at the Federal and participating States were also present
except for Taraba and Benue States which were yet to conclude the recruitment
process.
The CPM welcomed every on and thanked the Hon. Commissioners or their
representatives for making time to attend which is an indication of their
commitment and support for the programme. She iterated the focus of the
workshop and that it was a step in the bid to avoid some challenges encountered
in the implementation of other IFAD funded programmes in the country.
The key project staff at the National level made presentations on key
issues around the programme which included:
o
Status Report on recruitment process of key Project
staff
o
Office accommodation
o
Programme Implementation Manual
o
Annual Workplan and Budget
o
Development of Procurement Plan
o
Funds flow and financial Management
o
Engagement opportunities with Private Sectors
Service Providers.
After each presentation was an interactive session to discuss the
content and seek further clarifications about the Programme. However participants were informed that an in
– depth training on the implementation procedure of the Programme would be undertaken
for the project staff during the project facilitation Training.
The Country Programme Manager re –affirmed the need to make the Programme
disbursement effective as soon as possible at the state level. In other to fast
track the process the following needs to be done:
S/N
|
Activity
|
Responsibility
|
Time
|
1
|
Official notification of the Federal Ministry of Finance of the Key
Programme staff
|
State Government through Ministry of Agriculture
|
Immediately
|
2
|
Preparation and Signing of the Programme
|
IFAD & State Government through Ministry of Agriculture
|
Immediately
|
3
|
Opening of State level Programme accounts
|
Ministry of Agriculture PM ADP SPC VCDP and Accountant
|
Sept 2014
|
4
|
Provision of Office accommodation
|
Ministry of Agriculture PM ADP
|
Immediately
|
5
|
Payment of 2014 Counterpart Fund
|
OGUN STATE GOVERNMENT
|
Immediately
|
6
|
Preparation of Annual Work plan and Budget
|
State Programme Management Unit
|
October 2014
|
Concluding, the Country Programme Manager appealed to the Hon.
Commissioners present to assist in facilitating prompt and regular payment of
the counterpart fund. This she said is very critical to the success of the Programme.
The meeting was then informed that the Project facilitation training will hold
from 7th – 24th September. Details of the training will
be forwarded by the National Programme Office to the various States later. The
meeting ended at 5:30pm.
The Ogun State team included the Engr. I.O Bisriyu who represented the
Hon. State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Olusegun Adeleye who represented
the Programme manager of OGADEP and the all the newly recruited members of the
State Management Unit for the VCDP.