By Gabriel Ewepu

MAKURDI- Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Thursday, lauded the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, Rural Finance, RUFIN, Building Programme over poverty reduction and rural finance inclusion in the state.

Ortom who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Engr Benson Abounu, stated this while receiving IFAD-RUFIN Supervision Mission team led by Mr Swandip Sinha, in Makurdi, the state capital.

The team was in the state to access the level of impact of the programme in three local government areas, which include Apa, Logo and Naka, where rural women formed groups for training and linkage with microfinance institutions for access to loans to boost their businesses and living standard.

The Governor appreciated impact made by the IFAD-RUFIN’s financial training and links to microfinance institutions that have enabled rural people of the state to have access to finance which have significantly boost their agribusinesses and other investments.

According to him the financial training and organisation of women into groups through the intervention made by the rural finance building programme have helped his government to reduce poverty in the state.

He said: “From the testimonies, some of the people that collected loans have been able to affect their families positively, and their businesses have greatly improved and increased, and this is what we have been looking for.

“The rural poor have little exposure to whatever can help them in improving their businesses. So programmes like this especially the one that is self sustainable is extremely important.

“The rural poor have challenges and I described them as ‘endangered species’ because they exposed to health hazards, water and sanitation problems and feeding well is another challenge confronting them.

“As a government we have decided to concentrate on the rural poor who have been neglected for too long, and we will ensure that they are lifted out of poverty. What RUFIN is doing is extremely important to us.”

Meanwhile, he also expressed optimism that if the programme will be sustained for the next 10 years rural poverty will be reduced drastically and rural economy enhanced and urged the government to replicate the programme in 36 States in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, SGDs.

Earlier in his speech, the IFAD-RUFIN Supervision Team leader, Swandip Sinha, disclosed that the programme which started in 2010 will end by March 2017, and urged the 12 pilot state governments to bridge the gap of their counterpart funding of the programme in order to sustain it.

Similarly, National Programme Coordinator, RUFIN, Olumiyiwa Azeez represented by Deputy National Programme Coordinator, RUFIN, Mrs Unekwu Ufaruna, maintained that the programme had facilitated financial access of over N30 billion to the rural poor and with 95 to 100 per cent of loan recovery.

Azeez also expressed optimism that with the impact and achievement of RUFIN the programme that would take over called Rural Outreach Coordinating Committee, ROCC, will build on the structure RUFIN has established to continue and greatly impact the lives of rural people.