11.5m Nigerians Have Access To Improved Rural Roads – Minister

Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, says over 11.5 million Nigerians in rural communities have benefitted from improved road connectivity under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), as part of efforts to strengthen food security and rural economic growth.

Abdullahi stated this yesterday at the 10th RAAMP Implementation Support Mission (ISM) in Abuja.

He said the project had become a major pillar of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s rural development strategy.

According to the minister, the government considered rural connectivity critical to agricultural productivity and market access, noting that poor access roads had, for years, limited farmers’ ability to transport produce and expand economic activities.

The minister said the project had evolved beyond road construction into a national reform programme aimed at institutionalising sustainable rural infrastructure management nationwide.

Abddullahi said about 1,500 kilometres of rural roads had been completed under the programme, while work was ongoing to deliver the remaining 2,500 kilometres before December 2026.

He added that the federal government had also strengthened sustainability measures by establishing Rural Access Roads Agencies (RARA) and State Road Funds (SRF) in the participating states.

The minister further disclosed th reform bills establishing the agencies and funding structures had been passed and assented to, while over 61,795 kilometres of rural roads had been digitised and uploaded into the Nigeria Rural Transport Infrastructure Management System (NiRTIMS).

He said the government had secured an additional $600 million for the scale-up phase of the project, alongside $250 million from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to expand coverage and deepen reforms.

“Over 11.5 million rural Nigerians have directly benefitted from improved access under RAAMP. This milestone reflects the commitment of this administration to ensuring that rural communities are not left behind under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“Connectivity is food security because without access to markets, production cannot translate into prosperity. That is the gap RAAMP is closing,” Abdullahi said.

Earlier, the national coordinator of RAAMP, Engr.$ Aminu Bodinga Mohammed, said the project, funded by the World Bank with total financing of $575 million, currently covers 19 states of the federation.

Mohammed said over 4,000 kilometres of rural roads had been awarded, while about 39 Agro Logistics Centres (ALCs) were under construction to improve agricultural markets and storage systems.

The World Bank Task team leader, Rakesh Tripathi, commended the progress recorded under the programme, describing it as one of the most successful reform-driven infrastructure projects in Africa.

Tripathi said many of the state road maintenance institutions established under the programme were now operational, adding that the reforms represented one of the largest legislative achievements in infrastructure management on the continent.