The World Bank says it has committed over $200 million towards developmental projects in Ekiti State.
The Ekiti State Government quoted the global bank’s official in a statement published via its X page on Tuesday.
The World Bank Country Director, Dr Ndiame Dipo, revealed this during a strategic meeting of the Ekiti State Government with Heads of Development Agencies at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, that $60 million had already been disbursed from the money.
Investment in critical projects
Dipo was said to have called on all relevant stakeholders in the state to collaborate in bringing development in the state.
The statement partly reads,
“Governor Biodun Oyebanji spoke just as the @WorldBank said it had committed over $200 million to Ekiti State, out of which $60 million has been disbursed so far in some critical aspects of the state’s development.
“The World Bank Country Director, Dr Ndiame Diop who disclosed this during the Governor’s engagement, said the funds are directed at eight different projects.
” He called for more effective collaboration from the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure the success of the projects.”
Governor calls for collaboration
At the meeting in Abuja, Oyebanji sought increased collaboration and partnership with both local and international development agencies to ensure the all-round development of the state’s economy.
He said with the right partnership and collaboration, the state’s development goals could be significantly accelerated through mutual cooperation and resource sharing.
He lauded the financial support from the World Bank, adding it will help drive development in the critical areas of the state’s infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare, and education, among others.
What the governor said,
“We are a government that is reform minded, transparent, we are accountable and am leading a team that is competent and committed to the mandate of this administration.
“Everything we are doing in Ekiti is already planned for. We know the track we are following, we know the step we have taken and we are trying our best within the available resources as a state, but we know that we have the capacity and ability to do more and that is why we have invited you here today to say, please handhold us in areas where your institutions can partner and collaborate with us. Let us work together so that we can deliver good governance to the people of Ekiti State.
“We tick all boxes in transparency, we have a regulatory instrument in the state that ensures that we deliver on projects, and for those of you that have one program or the other in Ekiti, you will know that we adhere strictly to protocols for implementation, and that speaks to our commitment to doing things the right way.”
The governor urged investors to invest in the state while maintaining that Ekiti is an ideal environment for business operations.