By Philip
Tengzu, GNA
Wa,(UWR), October 16, GNA – About
180 Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) personnel have been assigned to Planting for
Food and Jobs fertilizers outlets to help reduce incidence of fertilizer
smuggling, Dr Hafiz Bin-Salih, Upper West Regional Minister, has said.
The move, he said, would give
meaning to the PFJ programme, which was introduced by the government two years
ago to supply farmers with subsidised farm inputs including; fertilizer as a
way to boost the agricultural sector of the nation’s economy and improve the
lot of farmers.
Dr Bin-Salih, who stated this at
the first Regional NABCO anniversary celebration in Wa, added that the trainees
were schooled on the PFJ modalities such as electronic tracking of fertilizers.
The PFJ programme was plagued
with the menace of smuggling of the inputs, especially, fertilizers, to
neighbouring Burkina Faso since its inception in 2017.
This led the Ministry of Food and
Agriculture to suspend nine Municipal and District Assemblies from retailing
fertilizers this year.
“Under the Planting for Food and
Jobs, NABCO personnel were trained on the 2019 Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ)
modalities to include; the use of the electronic tracking system to monitor the
sale of the fertilizers”, the minister said.
He also noted that the NABCO
trainees were playing pivotal roles in the implementation of notable government
initiatives including; the fight against illegal mining and digital property
addressing systems.
On his part, Mr Umar Nuhu, Upper
West Regional Coordinator of the NABCO,was happy some personnel were tagged
with ‘name-callings’ in their various offices, saying “it is segregating and
demoralising”.
He appealed to the implementing
agencies to create an enabling environment for the personnel to work
effectively towards national growth and development.
On payment of stipends, Mr Nuhu
noted that the NABCO Secretariat was working to resolve all challenges to
ensure regular payment of trainees’ stipends at the end of the month.
Heads of Departments and NABCO
trainees across the region attended the event on the theme: “Investing in the
youth, securing the future through opportunities for work and nation building”.
GNA
