BY PETER DURU, MAKURDI

Benue state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU with the United Nation Development Fund, UNDF, for a $5million counterpart fund for the development of critical infrastructure in the state.

The MoU which covers the 2016 UN Annual work Plan for development in the state was signed on behalf of the world body by Mr. Samuel Nyambati who represented the Country Coordinator of the United Nations while the acting Governor of the state, Benson Abounu signed for the state government.

Speaking at the signing, Abounu stated that the Governor Samuel Ortom led administration was committed to ensuring rapid development and transformation of the state through the provision of basic infrastructure in the state.

He regretted that, ‘’the immediate past administration for reasons best known to it let go donor agencies that were in the state however, when this administration came into office we invited them and discussed ways of partnering together in order to move the state forward and this is one of the benefits of that move.”

He assured the world body of the willingness of the government to ensure the full implementation of the captured projects, explaining that the state counterpart fund for the project had already been captured in the 2016 budget.

Mr. Nyambati, in his remarks said over 10 donor agencies had joined in the 2016 work plan which he said would cover diverse areas of partnership including water and sanitation, education, primary healthcare development as well as agriculture among others.