Date: 2017-04-13

As part of efforts to bridge infrastructure gap in the state, Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed has solicited a partnership of $162m with the World Bank.

The partnership arrangement was presented to the World Bank team on Wednesday in Abuja by Director General, Kwara State office of Public, Private Partnership, KP3, Yomi Ogunsola, during a visit to world bank headquarters in Abuja by Gov Ahmed. Making the presentation, Ogunsola said the partnership proposal includes International Vocational, Technical and Entrepreneurship College, IVTEC, 30-to-1 class secondary school renovation, state wide health scheme, water accessibility and Artisan Mining Light Processing Hub.

Other projects proposal, according to the DG include: Light-Up-Kwara, Data-Driven Medium and Large Scale Agriculture, MSME Financial Inclusion among others.

Speaking earlier, Gov Ahmed who thanked the World Bank for various interventions in the state, said he was at the Bank's headquarters to explore other areas of partnership, especially as they affect the most vulnerable groups.

According to the governor, "I'm not more concern between now and 2019, but about what happens after 2019 when I leave office. I want to bequeath a state on auto run in all phases of human developments to those coming after me."

The governor said he is more concern with projects embedded with energy accessibility, expanded with available value chain for existing sectors, connected with labour intensive growth, guaranteed safety and security, among others.

Responding, the World Bank Country Director, Rachid Benmessaoud, thanked the state governor and his team for the visit and promised to look into areas of partnership with the state government when the current country projects are being reviewed.

According to the director, most of the projects in the country are executed in synergy with the federal government through the federal ministry of finance.