By Ismaila Isah

In a bold move to bridge gaps in Kogi State’s road infrastructure and position it as a model of sustainable development, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has embarked on an ambitious strategy of leveraging multilateral partnerships to revitalize rural access, enhance connectivity, reverse environmental degradation and boost agricultural productivity anchored on local content.

While the state government is currently working on over 400 kilometers of township roads including roads in Omala, Idah, Bassa in Kogi East, Mopamuro, Egbe, Ijumu in Kogi West and in Okene, Okehi and Adavi in Kogi Central, there are currently over 200 kilometres of rural roads connecting about 50 communities across most of the agricultural belts in several local government areas in the state largely enabled by multilateral partnerships and strategic interventions.

Central to this vision innovative multilateral partnerships is the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscape (ACReSAL) with its unprecedented erosion control projects at Etahi in Okene, Olubiojo in Ankpa, and Omigbo in Kabba, representing Kogi Central, East, and Western Senatorial zones respectively worth 29.9 Billion Naira. Equally pivotal is the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), which has already initiated construction of over 200 kilometres of rural access roads across the state.

These initiatives, implemented in collaboration with multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), and the Federal Government of Nigeria, among other donor agencies, are closely aligned with Governor Ododo’s campaign promises anchored on a commitment of not only transforming Kogi’s physical landscape but at the same time breathing new life into its economy by boosting agricultural output and creating jobs.

RAAMP, an initiative by the World Bank, and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, has emerged as a cornerstone of the administration’s strategy to link rural and agricultural production communities with markets and essential services. In October 2024, Governor Ododo flagged off the construction of 65 kilometres of rural access roads connecting major agro-producing communities in Lokoja, Adavi and Okehi local government areas.

Speaking during the flag-off ceremony at Apata, near Obajana, Governor Ododo emphasized that: “These rural roads are not just transport links, they are lifelines that connect our traders, farmers, and communities, fostering economic growth and food security.
By improving access, we are empowering farmers to compete in regional and national markets, thereby boosting incomes and reducing poverty.”

The Governor maintained that strategic connections to be enhanced by the project marked the beginning of a broader rural road network aimed at enhancing connectivity, lowering transportation costs for farmers, and improving access to markets.

True to the Governor’s manifesto, which pledged to explore innovative financing models such as public-private partnerships for roads and other public infrastructure, the RAAMP initiative is a textbook example, blending international donor support with state-driven priorities to address critical infrastructure gaps in the state.

While RAAMP tackles the rural connectivity challenge, ACReSAL focuses on another pressing concern: environmental degradation and the threat it poses to agricultural sustainability and peoples’ wellbeing. In Etahi, Olubiojo, and Omigbo, years of unchecked seasonal erosion have carved deep gullies, devastating farmlands, and displacing communities. In response, the ongoing ACReSAL environmental remediation projects funded by its partners like the World Bank and implemented in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment aim to restore these landscapes through bioengineering and climate-resilient techniques.

Governor Ododo harped on the significance of these projects when he noted: “We are not only building roads and bridges; we are building trust, inclusion, and ownership by ensuring our people benefit directly from the process.”

He further stated that the projects are not merely technical interventions but people-centered solutions designed for long-term impacts, as he stressed during the recent project inspection tour in Kogi Central, emphasizing that the administration has evolved a statewide scope of interventions.

“What we are doing in Kogi Central is also taking place in Kogi East and Kogi West. Our project monitoring teams are also conducting inspections in other parts of the state. We will continue to monitor, evaluate, and complete projects that matter to the people,” he said.

A testament to all-inclusiveness in the development of road infrastructure in the state is visible in the several rural road projects by RAAMP including the 24.1KM Ilai-Ifeolukotun road in Yagba East local government; 19.55KM Aku-Uro-Obajana road, 6.59KM Osara-Atami road, 6.83KM Elubi-Etiaja-Ajakwu- Ulaja road in Dekina local government area, 4.13KM Odidoko-Ugbamaka-Ubojo-Oloyo-Emakpe road in Olamaboro local government area, 16.03KM Eganyi-FFN road in Ajaokuta local government area, 1.33KM EMMCO-Umuaga road in Okene local government area, 2.41KM Aku-UrukuOdoba road in Adavi local government area and the 18.95KM Ibado Akpacha-Ojiaji-Ogudu road in Omala local government area.

These projects are serving as engines of economic empowerment, inclusion, and promoting local content in project delivery.
Current data reveals that over 5,000 skilled and semi-skilled youths are employed across the state, from road construction sites in Obajana, Omala, and Aku to erosion control sites in Ankpa, Okene, and Kabba-Bunu

As Benjamin Oguche, a mason working on one of the ACReSAL project sites in Ankpa, shared:
“I am working on the gully erosion control sites. They (the construction firm) taught us how to lay asphalt and use machinery. Now I can get similar jobs anywhere in the country.”

The ripple effects are already apparent. In Etahi, ongoing construction of roads coupled with erosion control have revitalized community life almost overnight. In Olubiojo and Omigbo, ACReSAL’s land restoration, now over 65% complete, has restored access to fertile lands previously lost to erosion, enabling a return to farming and food production.

As these projects progress across the state, they herald a new era for Kogi. Upon completion, RAAMP’s road networks will connect rural dwellers to schools, healthcare centres, and markets, while ACReSAL’s restoration efforts, supported by over three billion Naira in community revolving loans as well as plans to plant trees for reforestation on 10,000 hectares of land in the state, will safeguard Kogi’s agricultural productivity, the environment and the wellbeing of the people.

Overall, Governor Ododo’s administration is proving that strategic multilateral partnerships can turn campaign promises into tangible progress. By aligning international and national interventions with a clear, community-focused development agenda, he is not just bridging infrastructure gaps, he is building a new Kogi State where collective commitment to sustainability and shared prosperity become a reality for all.

Ismaila Isah is the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor of Kogi State.