Oxfam International and Bauchi State Government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve the agriculture sector by targeting the “most vulnerable” farmers across the 20 local councils.

At the signing, at the weekend, Oxfam’s Country Director, Dr. Vincent Ahonsi, said despite the enormous agricultural potential in Bauchi, inadequate mechanised agricultural equipment, poor access to financial services, constitute constraints in fighting poverty, unemployment and poor yield in the state.

Ahonsi, who was represented by Oxfam’s Livelihood and Nutrition Empowerment (LINE) Project Coordinator, Samuel Lashom, noted: “For over six years, and with generous (and appreciated) funding from the Global Affairs Canada, the LINE project has been working to stimulate a sustainable economic growth in Bauchi through the Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) formation and support, as well as financial linkages created for small farmer households.”

The LINE Project is a market-based agricultural initiative that promotes agriculture-driven economic growth and responds directly to the unmet financial services of the remote, difficult to reach and rural poor communities in Bauchi.