Enugu Development Partners, Beneficiaries, Others Hail Ugwuanyi

•PDP guber candidate promises to continue with programmes

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi administration’s support and active collaboration in the execution of Development Partner Assisted Projects in Enugu State has received commendation as leaders and members of the “Development Partner-Family” operating in the state and their beneficiaries visited Enugu, to thank the governor for being behind the success story of their projects. 

Also, those that visited the government House were the contractors/consultants, community interest groups and service providers.

According to a statement, the Development Partners’ Family stated that they were satisfied and impressed that Ugwuanyi’s administration in keeping with its policy thrust leveraged and maximised the assistance of many Development Partners to make positive changes in the socio-economic development of Enugu State, especially in the rural areas.

They added that besides leveraging the Development Partners’ interventions, the remarkable achievements recorded were predicated on Ugwuanyi’s administration’s cardinal policy of institutionalisation of transparency, accountability, traceability and strict adherence to due process.

Speaking at the event, the Coordinating Officer of the Development Partners’ Project Implementation Units in Enugu State, Hon. Uche Fidelis Nnadi, said Ugwuanyi’s dedicated attention, aided by the establishment of the State Focal Office for Development Partner Assisted Projects/Programmes, had reduced to its barest minimum, the hitherto operational and financial impunities in the sector.

Commending Ugwuanyi for his steadfastness and immeasurable support, Nnadi expressed optimism that the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, who was present at the event, would take the governor’s efforts, “a notch further towards the attainment of the desired objective by attracting and sustaining many more Development Partner Assisted Projects/Programmes, and effectively managing their operations transparently and accountably.”

Presenting their scorecards separately, the Project/Programme Heads endorsed the steadfastness of Ugwuanyi’s administration towards the actualisation of their set objectives in Enugu State.

 Enumerating the achievements of the Agro Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS), the Acting Project Coordinator, Ihuoma Eze, revealed that Ugwuanyi’s administration’s partnership with APPEALS has increased productivity, adding that 1,700 beneficiaries,  comprising women, youths and people with disabilities (PWDs) have been  able to start up business in agriculture in five value chain (cashew, poultry, rice, aqua culture and cassava) focusing on production, processing and marketing.

The APPEALS Project coordinator expressed gratitude to Ugwuanyi that out of the 1,700 beneficiaries, 85 of them were people with disabilities, saying: “They are all here. We are currently constructing two additional cottage community centres. We have assembled agric inputs for high economic value for our farmers and this construction is at an advanced stage.

 “Your Excellency, through you we have been able to award contract for construction of farm access roads in nine locations of the state that will help famers to transport their produce to processing and marketing centres.

“These feats, too numerous to mention, have the full support of Governor Ugwuanyi and that is why we are here to say a very big thank you. We are also thanking you for the counterpart funding which you made available for the projects. It did not only help us in our executions, it also helped us to stand with our peers.

“We pledge our unflinching and unalloyed support to this administration and the incoming administration. We are going to support the PDP come 2023 elections.”

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries of APPEALS programme, Precious Chinaza Obioma Ekpere, one of the persons with disabilities (PWDs) thanked Ugwuanyi in a special way for empowerment, stressing that, “what you have done for the community of persons with disabilities especially all the women and youths is unforgettable.”    

On his part, the Project Head of Rural Access and Mobility Projects (RAMP2) represented by Celestine Akwuwa, stated that RAMP2 under Ugwuanyi’s administration had constructed over 418 km of rural roads across the 17 local government areas of the state, asphalted about 49.108km of roads and built culverts and bridges across 23 river crossings in the state.

On water project, Engr. Charles Eze highlighted Governor Ugwuanyi administration’s achievements in the sector, announcing that the state government effectively paid the counterpart funds for the AFD Agency project for National Urban Water Sector Reform Project which enabled smooth running of the project in the state.

He revealed that, “the project is a $50 million project and only the first tranche of the sum of €3 million has been released.”

In their separate speeches, other Development Partners Project Heads, namely NEWMAP, SOCU,IFAD, CLVA, ENSPHCDA, etc, spoke in the same vein and highlighted the governor’s key achievements in their thematic areas.

 Also speaking, the governorship candidate of the PDP in Enugu State, Mbah, expressed excitement with the event describing it as an affirmation of Ugwuanyi’s vision, mission and focused administration in the state.

Mbah added that it was also an affirmation of the continuity of the same business-friendly environment the governor’s administration has provided for the people of Enugu State.

 The PDP guber candidate commended Ugwuanyi for his outstanding stewardship and rewarding partnership with the World Bank/Development Partners and promised to continue with the projects/programmes, if elected as governor.

 “I understand what it takes to partner with World Bank and Development agencies because transparency is one critical issue that will be required. The partnership also requires synergy of all parties to keep their own part of the bargain,” he said.

 In his response, Ugwuanyi appreciated members of the Development Partner Assisted Projects family in Enugu State for the successes the projects and programmes have recorded in the state under his administration.