World Bank, Sokoto Govt To Expand Areas Of Partnership

The World Bank office in Nigeria and Sokoto state government have agreed to expand their areas of mutual cooperation so as to engender development, inclusivity and tackle poverty among  the populace.

This followed the meeting between Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria, Mr. Rachid Ben Messaoud, at the Bank’s office in Abuja.

A statement issued Tuesday in Sokoto by the Governor’s spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, quoted Tambuwal as saying that his administration has paid all its counterpart funding for various projects to be executed jointly by the bank and the state government, and is awaiting further action to ensure rapid implementation.

“We have a number of projects we are implementing jointly in critical sectors like irrigation, water management, repairs of dam, health, education and others.

“We have discussed on ways we can hasten up implementation and I am happy with the response we got from the World Bank team.

“Importantly, we have agreed to expand the areas of our cooperation into sectors like livestock development, administration and fiscal reform among others,” he added.

The statement further revealed that the global bank’s officials have commended Sokoto government for its commitment to full implementation of the various agreements entered into by the two entities.

“The commitment shown by Sokoto government is commendable and reassuring. We are delighted by what has been achieved so far and we hope to create a better future together for the people of Sokoto and Nigeria,” the Country Director stated.

The World Bank and Sokoto government are partnering in critical sectors like irrigation and drainage, education, rural and inter-urban roads, water supply, sanitation, waste management and health.