By Amos Tauna
Kaduna (Nigeria) — Nigeria’s Bank Of Agriculture, BOA has taken steps to reposition itself for effective and efficient delivery on its mandate of financing agriculture in the country.
To this end, the bank is in the process of having a consultant for capacity building and institutional strengthening project of African Development Bank, ADB.
The Managing Director of the Bank, Kabir Mohammed Adamu announced this in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria at the financial bid opening for the selection of a Consultant for the Bank .
He explained that the the project aimed at building the capacity of the bank , was at the moment focusing on a renewed commitment to agriculture by all stakeholders as the main stay of the Nigerian economy.
The project ,according to him, is one in which the Nigerian government  through the Bank of Agriculture  has received financing from the African Development Bank towards the cost of Agriculture, institutional strengthening and Capacity Building Project.
“The support would assist the bank to carry out necessary reforms and be empowered to achieve the long term goal of creating an efficient and effective, institution capable of seizing the huge opportunities in the Agricultural financing space in the world”, he added..
Kabir said the Bank of Agriculture had demonstrated leadership in agribusiness financing as being exemplified in her pivotal role in the Anchor Borrowers Programme, financing of Micro, Small and Medium agricultural entreprises in Nigeria.
The Managing Director explained that the bank has not been able to seize enormous opportunities due largely to inadequate capital, capacity deficiencies, inadequate IT infrastructure, poor work tools  among others.
He noted that the project would assist the bank in the modernization of its work processes, build capacity of workforce and institution, to seize huge business opportunities in Agriculture.
The grant for the project, he said, is.     $1.135 million with a contribution in the ratio of 88.29 per cent and 11.71 per cent by African Development Bank and Bank of Agriculture to help achieve the desired target.
The project , he said , was being managed by the Project Implementation Unit, PIU, approved by the Nigerian government and the African Development Bank, stressing that to ensure that the project was managed professionally, efficiently, transparently, the consultants were engaged in accordance to AFDB procurement guidelines.
One of the Civil Society Organization members, Benjamin Yunana Maigari, who witnessed the bidding procedure expressed delight with the level of transparency adopted in the process, pointing out that the Nigerian government desire in agriculture would be achieved.
