By Mustapha Salisu
Kano State Governor, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, has reiterated the commitment of the state government to enhance agricultural activities within the state, as efforts are being made to strengthen diplomatic ties with the French Republic.
In a meeting held at the State Government House on Friday, Governor Yusuf, represented by Deputy Governor Comr. Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, expressed the state’s determination to collaborate with France in addressing global climate change issues, particularly as they relate to agriculture.
During the meeting, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann, stated that the purpose of the delegation’s visit to Kano was to propose several development projects to the state government, with a focus on creating job opportunities and boosting the state’s economic status.
Blatmann highlighted the longstanding engagement of the French government in agricultural cooperation within the private sector, which has resulted in job creation and vocational training for the people of Kano state.
She cited NutriK, a French company that specializes in producing nutritional products made from groundnuts and peanuts, as an example. “Over the past two years, NutriK has employed more than 130 people from Kano state” Blatmann noted.
The French Ambassador further disclosed that the French government, in partnership with Audu Bako College of Education, Dambatta, has selected six states in Nigeria, including Kano, to benefit from a program aimed at promoting Agricultural Technical Education and apprenticeships for women.
Blatmann emphasized the French government’s support for the Energy Transition of Agro Industries in Kano state by facilitating contact with French companies specializing in the renewable energy sector.
She specifically mentioned the involvement of two companies in equipping Gerawa Mills, the largest rice and soya processing plant in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Another program introduced by Blatmann is the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), which aims to provide access roads in rural areas to enhance agricultural marketing in 18 states across Nigeria, including Kano.
FARMERS VOICE NG gathered that, the project is co-financed by the World Bank and the French Development Agency, and its main objective is the construction and rehabilitation of rural roads to facilitate the marketing of agricultural produce by rural farmers.
Deputy Governor Comr. Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, on behalf of Governor Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, assured the French Ambassador of the Kano State government’s commitment to carefully review all the proposed projects.
He also disclosed that the state government would extend an invitation to the French government to discuss the implementation of these projects.
