07/05/2026
FG, WORLD BANK, STAKEHOLDERS CONVERGE ON AKWA IBOM, AS RAAMP INAUGURATES LANDMARK ROAD PROJECTS TODAY
The 11 - kilometer Owotuta - Nung Oku Ekere - Afaha Udo Eyop - Edeobom - Utuat market junction demonstration road, under the Akwa Ibom State Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, AKS-RAAMP is to be commissioned today by His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD - Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
The event is quite significant, considering the unanimous agreement by the Federal Government, the World Bank and other stakeholders to converge on Akwa Ibom for the landmark exercise in lieu of a national commissioning of RAAMP projects by the 19 participant states across the country.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Dr. Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdulahi, CON; Country Director of the World Bank, Dr. Mathew Verghis; and the Task Team Leader of the Bank, Mr. Rakesh Treparti had since arrived Uyo, the state capital to grace the epochal event.
Also present are the Task Team Leader of the French Development Agency, Ms Sally Ibrahim; National Coordinator of RAAMP, Engr. Aminu Mohammed and other critical stakeholders, which underscores the high - profile importance of the event.
State Project Implementation Units, SPIUs of the other 18 RAAMP states, led by Engr. Malami Umar Tambuwal of Sokoto State - Chairman of the State Project Coordinators Forum, are equally on ground for the event.
The Executive Assistant and Chief Delivery Advisor to the Governor, Mr. Aniefiok Johnson, on behalf of His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD - Governor of Akwa Ibom State, heartily welcomes these very important personalities and indeed every stakeholder to this all-important event, while expressing appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, the World Bank and Federal Project Management Unit, FPMU of RAAMP for the confidence reposed in Akwa Ibom to host the event, on behalf of other states across the country.
On her part, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Offiong Offor maintains that the choice of Akwa Ibom has been facilitated by the holistic approach to governance, massive development, peaceful disposition and the general administration of the state by His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD under the ARISE agenda.
She reiterates that with the strong backing of His Excellency in the payment of counterpart funds and other regular supports, the project has executed over 202 kilometres of rural roads across 18 Local Government Areas; operationalised the Rural Access Road Agency, RARA and State Road Fund, SRF; established 19 Road Maintenance Groups comprising 65 members in 14 LGAs to promote sustainability for our roads. The economic empowerment and livelihood enhancement indices of these investments can only be imagined than described.
The commissioner also commends the State Project Implementation Unit, SPIU of RAAMP, led by Pastor Gideon Akpan, describing their performance as focussed and superlative, which has paid - off handsomely by the "seamless and harmonious resolve" to converge on Akwa Ibom in lieu of the national inauguration of RAAMP roads.
Similarly, the Chairman of the State Project Monitoring Committee of AKS-RAAMP, Dr. Atim Okoko, expressed palpable satisfaction with the SPIU by members of her committee, which has culminated in the adoption of Akwa Ibom as destination of choice for the event.
The landmark exercise will reflect the climax of joy, ecstacy and gratitude among residents of seven communities and thousands of families across two Local Government Areas, who have collectively been rescued from several years of untold hardships, following the completed road project. It is also a concrete attestation that RAAMP is a dependable complement to the ARISE agenda in grassroots development and the reduction of rural - urban drift.
Interestingly, the 11- kilometer AKS- RAAMP demonstration road cuts across Owotuta, Ikot Okubo, Itoko, Ikot Ikere, Afaha Ikot Owop and Afaha Udo Eyop communities in Ibesikpo clan, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area and Edeobom 1 in Edeobom clan, Nsit Ibom local Government Area. The road also traverses Ekponwa market - one of the market hubs which is currently being intervened upon for transformation into a standard, ultra-modern agro-logistics center.
However, in the course of the project implementation over the years, Akwa Ibom has earned several commendations at various fora. During the 7th World Bank Implementation Support Mission held at Abuja in June '2024, the World Bank Task Team Leader, TTL, Engr. Olatunji Ahmed adjudged Akwa Ibom as one of the best among the 19 states participating in RAAMP. His words: "when we visited Akwa Ibom for the pre-mission last month, we saw civil works progressing on schedule along the demonstration road. Apart from that, we also saw that the quality of job was excellent. Those are the two areas that distinguish Akwa Ibom from other states - things are going on on schedule and in the right quality. That's a good one and very much commendable."
Similarly, in December 2024, Akwa Ibom was applauded with a bogus score of 110 percent, having exceeded her projected implementation milestones between June and December '2024, at another policy meeting of the project stakeholders held at Abuja. AKS-RAAMP was subsequently rewarded with the approval of additional 32 kilometers of roads for construction across the state.
Furthermore, AKS-RAAMP was conferred with the "Overall Best Award," under the Nigeria Rural Transport Infrastructure Management System (NiRTMS) by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdulahi, CON during the 8th Implementation Support Mission of RAAMP in February '2025.
NIRTMS is a web-based application that captures the geometries of rural roads to ease accessibility and evaluation of projects sites by the World Bank and other stakeholders. Under the system, the status of ongoing civil works are captured via the Construction Site Monitoring System, CoSMoS and uploaded to the NiRTMS server for effective monitoring by the stakeholders in real time.
Again, in May '2025, the World Bank and Federal Project Management Unit, FPMU visited Akwa Ibom for spot assessments of projects undertaken by AKS-RAAMP, during which the World Bank TTL, Mr. Rakesh Treparti described Akwa Ibom as "one of the very highly rated states in RAAMP," while the National Coordinator, Engr. Aminu Mohammed asserted that "considering her implementation status in terms of other states, Akwa Ibom is highly commendable."
Moreover, the 9th World Bank, French Development Agency, AFD and Federal Project Management Unit, FPMU Mission of October '2025 at Ikeja - Lagos State, further featured plausible accolades by the National Coordinator, Engr. Aminu Mohammed, as he paid glowing tributes to Akwa Ibom over her successful emergence among the very few states that had signed the Subsidiary Loan Agreement, SLA for enlistment into the SCALE-UP phase of RAAMP, having fulfilled all the necessary requirements satisfactorily.
RAAMP is a tripartite venture, jointly funded by the World Bank, French Development Agency and 19 participant states across the country.
Akwa Ibom State joined the project in 2017 and has so far completed over 40 kilometers of road projects, among other accomplishments across the state.
Three markets are also undergoing transformation - one in each senatorial district. They are: Ekponwa market in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area (Uyo Senatorial District); Naira market in Ikono (Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District); and Atabong beach market in Okobo (Eket Senatorial District). When completed, the markets will be equipped with sundry facilities - uninterrupted power supply, water, banking and health facilities, lock-up stores, modern stalls, parking lots, perimeter fencing, etc. These would provide a conducive atmosphere for business - comparable with any standard contemporary market and further enhance the economic viabilities of the traders accordingly.
Recently, the International Labour Organization embraced the partnership for the maintenance of roads so as to promote sustainability of the projects intervened upon beyond the tenure of RAAMP.
Over 124 - kilometers of roads will be maintained under the pilot exercise. 19 Road Maintenance Groups, RMGs, drawn from communities along the selected road corridors had already been established, trained and equipped, currently carrying on the jobs in 14 Local Government Areas across the state, on a monthly remuneration of the national minimum wage.
Activities under the scheme include: clearing and maintenance of side drains; repairing potholes; stone-pitching works; filling laterite; clearing and cleaning of bridges / river crossings; clearing vegetation / road shoulders; bioengineering and general surface maintenance works; etc.
As the project advances into Scale-Up, the State Project Coordinator of RAAMP, Pastor Gideon Akpan immensely appreciates His Excellency, Pastor Umo Emo, PhD for the huge investment and confidence reposed in the project and reiterates the utmost determination, focus and total commitment of his team to the wholesome accomplishment of His Excellency's rural development drive and the ARISE agenda.
Above all, during the just concluded 10th Implementation Support Mission of the project held at Abuja, the World Bank Task Team Leader, Mr. Rakeesh Treparti, had reiterated that "RAAMP may have started small, but has now gained significant stability, ahead of the scale-up phase, following the declaration of partnerships by the European Investment Bank, EIB and the Islamic Development Bank, IDB, while the Federal Government has made an unprecedented commitment of 10 percent counterpart funds into the project for the development of rural roads."
RAAMP SCALE-UP therefore promises to be much more viable as an effective means of promoting grassroots development across the state, nay the country.
Indeed, there is hope, great hope.
Media Akwa Ibom State Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project
07.06.26
