Governor Chukwuma Soludo has commended the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program Phase One, ATASP-1, for making great impacts in rural communities in Anambra State.
Governor Soludo made the commendation during the official commissioning of a world class hospital built by ATASP-1 at Ogbunka community in Orumba South Local Government Area.
Represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Forster Ihejiofor, Governor Soludo described ATASP-1, an agricultural sector development intervention program set up by the federal government with funding from the African Development Bank, as an important partner in the efforts of the state government to tackle hunger, unemployment and insecurity.
He commended the management of ATASP-1 for investing billions of naira into infrastructure that supports large scale modern farming, agro-processing and improved standard of livings for rural farmers, and further disclosed that health care workers, especially nurses, would be posted to the hospital to provide services to people from the community and other neighbouring communities.
Also in his speech, the Chairman of Orumba South Local Government Transition Committee, Prince Neville Uchendu, praised ATASP-1 for providing such world class hospital for rural farmers in Ogbunka, and assured that the council would also liase with the ministry of health and other stakeholders to ensure that qualified health workers are posted to the hospital, as well as ensure security of the facility.
Earlier in his speech, the Zonal Program Coordinator of ATASP-1, Adani-Omor Zone, Dr. Romanus Egba, expressed joy that the hospital was finally commissioned to provide healthcare services to farmers in the area.
He disclosed that the program had supported farmers in select communities, such as Ogbunka, with supply of improved variety of cassava cuttings, trainings on Good Agronomics Practices, GAPs, but felt the need to provide social/ancillary infrastructure facilities like hospital, water, schools and markets that enhance farmers wellbeing and income generation.
According to him, Ogbunka is the only community under ATASP-1 where Water borehole and hospital are built at the same place, urging stakeholders in the community to make good use of the facilities, even as added that the program was ready to train and support more farmers, especially youths on cassava and sorghum production.
Chairman of Ogbunka Farmers’ Cooperative under ATASP-1, Mr. Gabrel Orie, who was full of praises for ATASP-1 for transforming the lives of cassava farmers in Ogbunka through input supports and trainings on modern farming techniques and food processing, especially how to use cassava flour to produce confectionaries, described the commissioning of Ogbunka hospital as a turning point in their lives as farmers, as they would no longer travel long distance to seek medical attention.
He pledged the readiness of the community leaders to make good use of the facility.
Other community leaders who spoke at the occasion took turns to praise ATASP-1 for providing such a standard cottage hospital at Ogbunka.
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