North West Development Authority: 7bn FCFA worth project, two others announced for 2023

By Bakah Derick 

The Board of Directors meeting of the North West Development Authority (MIDENO) has announced three major projects expected to take off from January 2023. The announcement was made by the Board's Chairperson Lele L'Afrique Adolph Tchoffo Deben who also doubles as North West Governor during the  fifty-fourth (54th) Board of directors meeting of the institution on Wednesday 21 December 2022 in Bamenda. 

MIDENO board members ar start of session (Photo credit Drayinfos) 

The in camera board meeting whose agenda focused on the budget and the proposed investment Plan for 2023 as well as the review of the 2022 report of MIDENO examined and adopted a 7bn FCFA worth project funded by the World Bank, a multi-regional rice development project  and the second phase of the authority's livestock project LIFIDEP. 

"I am happy to announce that in the weeks ahead, MIDENO will serve as an Executing Agency of a World Bank Project worth over 7 billion to run for thirty-six (36) months. The main objective of this Emergency Project to Combat Food Crisis is to strengthen food security and increase resilience to climate shocks of targeted households and producers with focus on women. Away from this new Project to be implemented directly by MIDENO, LIFIDEP the Authority's Livestock Project will be implementing its second phase beginning next year. Besides, the former Project Coordinator of GP-IRDP and GP-DERUDEP I and II will now be coordinating (this time at the national level) a Rice Development Project in three Regions with headquarters here in the North-West. All the three development projects are envisaged to take-off come January twenty twenty-three (2023)." Governor Lele L'Afrique Adolph said during the  opening. 

For these projects to be executed smoothly, the board Chairperson has appealed for peace in the restive North West Region calling for all to actively engage in the peace building process for total normalcy to return. 

The review of the 2022 report of the instutition according to Lele L'Afrique was positive with significant projects realized despite the "morose sociopolitical situation. 

Among the achievements, let me cite the processing and distribution of improved planting material to farmers of our Region, progress in seed production for the last farming season, facilitating access of farmers to farm inputs, partnership with the ministry of public works to scale up community impact through the opening of farm to market and farm access roads and generating income to leverage the dwindling annual investment resources from the State, rehabilitation of the access road and site for the construction of the gas plant as well as community partnership, just to name these few." He outlined 

Board members at the close of the Session (Photo credit Drayinfos)

On behalf of the Board, the Chairperson has congratulated the management led by the General Manager Cletus Anye Matoya for the achievements despite the context and the state of  follow up of the three new projects.  

Created in 1981, MIDENO has the mission to coordinate, supervise and support rural development in the North West Region. The institution has the responsibility to meet the needs of the over 80% of the population involved in agriculture.