On 14-15 July 2023, the IOFS delegation held several meetings with both strategic and potential partners based in Niger, in order to share vision of the IOFS , promoting partnerships and coordination among various stakeholders, with the aim of maximizing the impact of agricultural projects, as well as proposals for initiatives in the areas of livestock, wheat and gene bank development.
The meeting was held with Acting Director, Principal Program Officer Mdm. HadjaAminata Tine who has cordially welcomed the IOFS delegation. The Acting Director shared on AfDB’s existence of varied approaches to financial support and technical assistance forcountries’ agricultural projects in the form of capacity building, knowledge sharing, policy advice, and technical expertise. Furthermore, it was noted that currently several potential agricultural projects for Niger are in the stage of implementation. The parties discussed the areas of interest of the country and beneficial actions to be taken in order to reach the country’s agricultural development strategy goals, as well as bank’s funding mechanism of collaboration with countries and coordinating institutions. The projects presented by IOFS identified as initiatives that are in line with the national development priorities, which have to be provided to the bank as soon as possible for further consideration.
The following meeting was held with the Mr Djibo Habib, Director of the Regional Office in Niger. The IOFS and IsDB as sisters Organizations both closely engaged in the dialogues with the governments of OIC Member States in promoting the sustainable agricultural development fostering partnerships and networking among the countries. It is known that the IsDB works closely with the countries on range of activities, such as infrastructure development, research and innovation, capacity building, and investment in agriculture value chains. As Regional Office the bank strongly follows the strategy of Niger on agricultural development and ensures to provide the support to the projects with possibility of high impact on agricultural improvement. As such interventions in livestock and wheat development are in priority list of the Government of Niger. The parties discussed approaches of cooperation focusing on capacity-building and technical assistance to the agricultural sector of the country.
A highly productive meeting was headed by Mr. Tanju Polat, the Coordinator of Regional Office of TIKA in Niger at the Office in Niamey. The Coordinator of TIKA emphasized that it has implemented numerous projects in Niger, encompassing various sectors crucial to the country's development such as agriculture, education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Both parties expressed their commitment to strengthening ties and implementing tangible initiatives proposed by IOFS to promote sustainable practices and improve food security in the country.
The Meeting with the Country Representative of the ICRISAT in Niger, Senior Scientist Prof. Falalou Hamidou graciously received the delegation of the IOFS for an introductory meeting. It was noted that ICRISAT conducts various activities in Niger focusing on R&D enhancing the crops productivity and nutritious content, seed system and capacity building training, policy support and advocacy. The Programme Manager for genebank issues briefly shared about the IOFS objectives and activities of the “Development of National Gene Banks in the OIC” Programme. The both sides agreed on developing cooperation in mobilizing financial and technical resources to support agricultural projects and initiatives for Niger and in general for other member states, conducting joint research initiatives on crop improvement and climate-smart agriculture practices and providing training programs, workshops, and knowledge exchange platforms for agricultural professionals, policymakers, and farmers.
The IOFS technical team also met with Mr. Moussa Ango, CILSS Coordinator in Niamey and an IOFS Sahel region strategic partner. To recall, the IOFS-CILSS collaboration resulted in mutually beneficial efforts for OIC Member States in water management in agriculture, the development of Databases on Agricultural Statistics, and transboundary pest control issues, in addition being part of IOFS agriculture projects by sharing the best expertise in various areas. The parties addressed future plans and the prospect of coordinated efforts for the benefit of Niger and the entire Sahel area.
