Sokoto Gov’t initiates 2,273 Kms rural, urban roads in 3 years — Aide 
From Bashir Rabe Mani in Sokoto
Determined to bolster rural and urban development across the 23 Local Government Areas of Sokoto State.the state government has initiated no fewer than 2,273 Kms of rural and urban roads, according to Alhaji Malami Muhammad Galadanchi, Special Adviser to Gov. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto on Rural Roads.
Our Correspondent in Sokoto reports that Galadanchi disclosed this on Monday in Sokoto at the opening of two-day ‘Capacity Building and Community Campaigns on Completed Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) Roads on Roads Safety.
The Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, RAAMP, is a World Bank and Federal Government initiative being implemented in Sokoto and other participating states to improve rural road infrastructure and agricultural marketing.
The project focuses on constructing and rehabilitating rural access roads, river crossings, and agro-logistics facilities to link farming communities to markets and reduce post-harvest losses.
In Sokoto State, RAAMP is a key part of Gov. Ahmed Aliyu’s infrastructure drive, with several rural roads already awarded to ease the movement of farm produce and improve livelihoods.
Beyond roads, RAAMP also targets institutional strengthening and sustainability.
The project supports the establishment of a Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Agency, RAAMA, in each state to manage rural roads and ensure maintenance after construction.
It also provides training for rural communities, engineers, and contractors on road maintenance, climate-resilient construction, and agribusiness.
The goal is to create a system where rural infrastructure does not collapse after a few seasons, but continues to serve farmers and traders for years.
For Sokoto farmers, RAAMP is expected to cut transportation costs, open up new markets, and reduce the impact of insecurity on the movement of goods.
By connecting remote villages to urban centers, the project directly supports the state government’s agenda on food security, job creation, and poverty reduction.
Declaring open the training, the Special Adviser said that while some of the road projects had since been completed and commissioned, others are ongoing across the state.
He explained that the invaluable rural road projects were executed under categories that include: Upgrading, rehabilitation, backlog maintenance and spot improvement.
Alhaji Malami Muhammad Galadanchi also reiterated the unwavering commitment of Sokoto state government under the leadership of the people-oriented Gov. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto towards executing more rural and urban road projects across the state.
This, he noted, was in view to the imperatives of road infrastructure to boosting access to markets and other social facilities, while facilitating socio-economic development across the state.
In a welcome address, the Sokoto State RAAMP Coordinator, Engr. Malami Umar Tambuwal said that the training was to enlighten road users in the state on how to properly use the newly constructed and rehabilitated roads across the state.
“At the on set of this administration, it inherited dilapidated roads across the state which is now history sequel to the commitment of the state government to the execution of rural and urban road projects.
“Roads are now too good as such there is the tendency for people to speed, hence cause road traffic crashes.
“So, we organized this event so as to enlighten the people on how to properly use these roads without causing any unpalatable issues,” he added.
Our Correspondent also reports that there was a presentation on a “Draft Road Safety Design and Audit Manual ‘, by Engr. Okwudili N. Ihejinni, a World Bank certified Road Safety Consultant.
The event was attended by RAAMP officials from Sokoto and Kebbi, as well as personnel of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), among others.
