During the 10th joint World Bank-French Development Agency Implementation Support Mission of the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), held between 4 and 8 May at the NAF Conference Centre in Abuja, government representatives, development partners and technical stakeholders reviewed progress and reaffirmed the importance of strengthening rural connectivity and resilience across Nigeria as a foundation for improved livelihoods, productivity and inclusive economic growth.
Speaking at the Implementation Support Mission General Assembly, Ms. Mito Tsukamoto, Chief of the ILO's EMPINVEST Branch, commended the Federal and State Governments of Nigeria for their leadership and continued commitment to job creation, rural transformation and the Decent Work Agenda.
"Programmes like RAAMP are powerful examples of how strategic investments in rural access can transform lives, strengthen resilience and stimulate local economies," Ms. Tsukamoto said, noting that countries worldwide are grappling with climate shocks, economic uncertainty and persistent decent work deficits.
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She highlighted RAAMP's integrated approach, which combines infrastructure development with institutional strengthening, socio‑economic inclusion and a strong commitment to decent work. This approach closely aligns with the ILO's Employment‑Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP), which has demonstrated for decades that people-centred infrastructure design can generate local employment, reduce poverty and promote inclusive growth.
By prioritizing employment‑intensive methods, RAAMP shows how public investment can deliver durable infrastructure assets while maximizing local economic participation, skills development and decent job opportunities. Countries are increasingly adopting labour‑based maintenance systems and strengthening institutional capacity, demonstrating that sustainable rural road management is both achievable and scalable.
Looking ahead, Ms. Tsukamoto reaffirmed the ILO's commitment to supporting the next phase of RAAMP, including its expansion to seven additional states, the scale‑up of the community-based routine maintenance groups, strengthened capacity development, and the embedding of decent work principles in the construction sector in Nigeria. This will also continue to involve promoting the inclusion of women and marginalized groups and supporting the use of appropriate and digital technologies for planning, monitoring and asset management.
She also emphasized the importance of strong partnerships with the Government of Nigeria, especially RAAMP and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and development partners, including the World Bank, the French Development Agency (AFD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), to align technical expertise, financing and implementation for greater synergies and impact.
Underscoring that RAAMP's expansion reaffirms a shared vision and commitment to building infrastructure that delivers not only roads, but also jobs, dignity and opportunity, she concluded by emphasizing that "the focus must not only be on the quantity of jobs created, but also on their quality, to ensure lasting benefits for local economies and communities."
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