On Tuesday the 11th of February, 2020, the WorldBank with it headquarter in Washington DC approved the Ogun State Economic
Transformation Project (OGSTEP) along with five other projects in Nigeria.
Ogun state started the preparation of the project
under the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun FCA CON since
2017. Several changes had been made to the budget as well as the other
documents (including the Project Implementation Manual) to make the project
more efficient and effective. At onset, the project was formerly known as the Ogun
State Agricultural Production and Industrialisation Program (OGAPIP) before it
metamorphosized into OGSTEP towards the end of immediate past administration.
A whooping sum of $250million will be given as loan
to Ogun State to support the State government’s efforts in increasing the
involvement of the private sector in the State’s economy with focus on
improving the business-enabling environment, solidifying agri-food value-chains
and upgrading skills.
Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture is not the only
agency to benefit from the project. Others aree Ogun State Ministry of Commerce
and Industry, the Ogun State Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning, the Ogun
State Bureau of Lands, Ogun State Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency,
the Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation, the Ogun State Housing
Corporation and the Ogun State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Series of sensitization visits had been made to
communities in the three Senatorial districts of the state in 2018 and 2019.
Communities and associations have shown interest by submitting their Expressions
of Interest formally to the State Ministry of Agriculture.
Through proper management and effective monitoring,
the State can boast of becoming the food basket of the State. Recently, Ogun
State launched the Broiler Production project which aimed at youth empowerment
and recorded a great success in its first phase. Also, the Anchor Borrowers
Programme is on-going under the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun MFR
