The World Bank Country Director Mr Rachid Benmessaoud has praised Yobe State for managing the projects that it is supporting in the state very well, saying the state is a good example for others in the country.
Mr Benmessaoud revealed this after a meeting with Governor Mai Mala Buni and other Yobe government officials to review the projects or ‘portfolios’ that the Bank is supporting in Yobe State.
“We are really proud to partner with the state because the state had done exceptionally well in the implementation of the World Bank assisted programmes under the able leadership of His Excellency the governor. We were able to see how these programmes can be accelerated to achieve good results for the citizens of Yobe”, he said.
The World Bank official added that he and Governor Buni have also agreed to continue to hold regular discussions on the implementation of projects in Yibe State. “So we have had a very good conversation and we have agreed that we will be regularly conducting these deep discussions on programmes performance over the next year so that we make sure that really the programmes can deliver to the citizens of Yobe and that Yobe state government can be seen as responsive to its people”, he said.
Governor Mai Mala Buni, on his part, said the projects being funded by the World Bank are being implemented successfully but he asked for more funding and scaling up of the partnership between the state and the Bank.
“As a result of our partnership with you, we currently maintain eight World Bank portfolios tailored at enhancing our key policies and programmes. These portfolios have a total operational commitment of over 100 million dollars.
“I am glad to report that the portfolios are being implemented successfully. I am also happy to note that they are contributing significantly to our recovery from our security challenges and improving the living conditions of our people. However, I would like to observe that the eight portfolios have so far collectively disbursed just over 50 per cent of the total commitments. Some of them, like the Nigeria State Health Investment Project (S-SHIP) which our state enjoyed for only two years, are ending soon”, he said.
The governor appealed to the World Bank Country Director to consider extending the operational timespan of the portfolios that could not meet their target due to late commencement of activities.
Governor Buni also asked for an upward review of the funding flow for the Saving One Million Lives (SOML) programme and for the key areas that his administration currently focusses on, which he named as education, agriculture, healthcare, and youth empowerment.
World Bank officials who joined the meeting with Governor Buni praised Yobe State for excelling in the management of the Bank-supported projects and especially in State and Local Governance Reform Programme (SLOGOR), Community Social Development Programme (CSDP) and the Saving One Million Lives (SOML) programme, amongst others.
The Yobe State governor had also met with the Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Nigeria, Kathleen FitzGibbon and the Mission Director for United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Stephen M. Haykin to ask for the support and partnership of the US agency to accelerate the effort of his administration to rebuild the state and improve education, agriculture and healthcare after the devastating attacks of Boko Haram.