Nigeria Engages JICA On Power, Roads, Others
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – The Federal Government will sustain its robust engagement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to boost power and infrastructure projects across the country.
Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, who expressed Nigeria’s resolve at the bilateral talks with the JICA delegation, said the government would work harmoniously with the Japanese to actualise on-going infrastructure projects in the power, water and road sectors as well as some pipeline ventures.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, the Minister, while appreciating JICA for strengthening the bilateral relations between Nigeria and Japan, stressed that the rehabilitation of Jebba hydro power project is also on the table for both sides.
Speaking at the forum, JICA’s Senior Vice President and leader of delegation, Mr Hiroshi Kato, said the Agency is reviewing a proposal to support nutrition improvement in Nigeria as well as appraise on-going infrastructure projects and other projects currently up for discussions.
He said; “JICA is planning to implement the Technical Cooperation Project on capacity development for nutrition improvement in the Federal Capital Territory. This project has five years duration.
“The concept seeks to improve the nutrition situation of rural people in the FCT through dietary improvement and local production and local consumption of nutrition rich food.”
Kato explained that the Initiative for Food and Nutrition Security in Africa (IFNA) was launched in Nairobi in August 2016 during the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, adding that IFNA was created to assist African Governments accelerate the implementation of their nutrition policies, and also to ensure integration of agriculture into nutrition actions at the local level.
On the power transmission project, Kato said JICA is working towards signing a loan agreement for the project by March 2019, just as he expressed the agency’s interest in implementing a master plan study on National Power System Development (NPSD).
According to him, the NPSD project would be a technical cooperation between Nigeria and JICA.
The Nigerian delegation, led by Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, also had the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Mahmoud Isa-Dutse; Nigeria’s Alternate Executive Director at the World Bank, Alhaji Haruna Mohammed; and Director of International Economic Relations Department, FMF, Alhaji Aliyu Ahmed.
