CSDP: C/River and World Bank Partnership Executes 838 Micro Projects in 11-years

The Cross River State Government partnering with World Bank in the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) says it has successfully executed 838 micro projects in the state between 2009 up till now.

Ben Ayade who was represented by Dr Inyang Asibong, Commissioner for International Development Cooperation disclosed this in Calabar during a one day workshop on presentation of CSDP outcome evaluation result to stakeholders in Cross River. Asibong said the CSDP has been the lead agency in rural development in the state.

Ayade said that his administration was focused on industrialization, hence the need to provide micro projects and critical infrastructure for rural dwellers in the state. According to him, the micro projects were executed in over 300 communities across the 18 local government areas of the state.

He specified the areas of intervention to include provision of portable water, healthcare centers, education, rural electrification, socioeconomic, environment, transport and community housing. Said he, “We believe that if these projects are sustained, the industrialization agenda of this administration will be achieved. Cross River as a state is committed to sustaining the gains of the project because it is meant to improve social and natural resources infrastructure services in a sustainable manner.”

And in his contribution, Mr Fidel Udie, the Acting General Manager of Cross River Committee and Social Development Agency, explained that the workshop was to ascertain the outcome of benefiting communities over the years through the CSDP project. Udie stated further that the vision of the agency was “to be an agency championing sustainable infrastructural development of poor communities and vulnerable groups in the state”.

On his part, the Chairman of Board of the Agency, Mr Tony Ikpeme, said that the workshop was to help them assess the beauty of the impact of infrastructure carried out across the state. Ikpeme, who disclosed that the project will have new phases going forward, said that the rural dwellers were the direct beneficiaries of the projects.

In his goodwill message, Mr Fabowale Gbadebo, the Head of Operations, Federal Project Support of CSDP, commended the state government for sustaining the execution of the projects to improve the social economic and health status of rural dwellers.