By Christian Njoku
Calabar – The Cross River Deputy Governor, Prof. Ivara Esu, has tasked the state’s steering committee on Agro Processing, Productive Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) project to ensure speedy completion of the projects.
Esu who gave the charge at a closed door meeting with members of the committee in his office in Calabar on Friday, said the committee should try to meet up the World Bank’s implementation target.
The deputy governor expressed displeasure at the slow and poor performance of the APPEALS project in the state so far, said that other states had gone ahead of Cross River.
He noted that the state was known for taking the lead in agro-programmes in the country.
According to him, the committee, meeting for the second time only since it took off in October 2018, is not good enough for the state.
“The project which is very important was designed to come to a close within six years and it took-off in 2017. We have already spent one year since we started only for preparations.
“The world bank APPEALS project has been dealing with very important value chain crops including cocoa, rice, maize and poultry which are crops needed to feed the major industries the state government has set up.
“You have to brace up to meet the target of the implementation of the World Bank project in the state,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of those present at the meeting were the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Okon Owuna and the Commissioner for Commerce, Mrs Rosemary Archibong.
Others included the Commissioner for International Donor Corporation, Dr. Inyang Asibong and the representative of the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Ben Olom.
(NAN)
