02 May 2014, Lagos – World Bank has granted an additional $19 million to Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) to extend its Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) grant agreement for a further five years.
The extension paves the way for the Bank to accept new contributions to FARA’s MDTF. The signing of this extension is an important milestone for FARA as it unlocks the resources the FARA Secretariat needs to commence full implementation of its new medium-term operational plan
The signing by Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) and the World Bank at the latter’s headquarters in Washington, DC recently represents the first contribution to be received from the European Commission.
The signing ceremony was presided over by Dr. Colin Bruce, Director Regional Integration Africa Region, on behalf of the Bank, and by Dr Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director of FARA, was witnessed by Dr. David Nielson, Lead Agricultural Services Specialist at the WB and Ms. Bremala Nathan, Senior Operations Officer, World Bank, among others.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, a Lead Agricultural Services Specialist at the World Bank, Dr. David Nielson, said the MDTF for FARA was established about five years ago as a forum of budget support to help FARA take forward some programs.
“It was designed as an instrument of support and very much associated with CAADP, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, as a form of support from outside of Africa for bringing the agricultural transformation to the continent.”
David Nielson said the World Bank recognize the contribution that FARA has made since its establishment and feel it has an important role to play in representing the agricultural research and extension and education community in the CAADP process continent-wide.
He added that at the regional level, the World Bank equally recognized the role of FARA’s support for different programs “and also at the country level providing support to institutional capacity building, providing Africa’s equal agricultural technology programs for Africa.”
*Jimoh Babatunde – Vanguard