The Director General Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) Dr. Debo Akande, has said the state government’s agribusiness policies are making measurable impact at the grassroots level.
Akande who doubles as the Executive Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on Agribusiness stated this at the OYSADA headquarters, Total Garden, Ibadan while hosting a meeting with Supervisory Councillors for agriculture across the 33 local government areas of the state.
He said the engagement was part of the government’s strategy to ensure that its agribusiness initiatives are not limited to large-scale projects but also felt in rural communities.
According to him, “The purpose of the meeting is to engage Supervisory Councillors on agriculture across all local governments. It reflects our approach as a government to ensure that we engage every nook and corner of the state.
“Our projects are not just about large transformative initiatives alone, but how those projects impact people at the grassroots, including at the ward and local government levels.”
Akande noted that feedback from participants at the meeting showed that several government programmes had already begun to yield results across communities.
He said, “Many of the participants referenced some of our programmes, including the NPS initiative and the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Programme. They also spoke about the number of beneficiaries and the impact these initiatives have had.
“This is encouraging and shows that the vision of the government and the strategies adopted are creating real impact.”
The agribusiness adviser stressed the need for sustained engagement with stakeholders at the grassroots, noting that such interactions provide critical insights into the needs of the people.
“What we have also seen is that this kind of engagement is required consistently. It gives us the opportunity to hear directly from the people at the grassroots and understand what they want,” he added.
Akande disclosed that the government was set to roll out a new implementation plan for the year, which would further deepen grassroots-focused interventions in the agribusiness sector.
He expressed optimism that the current administration’s policies would continue to deliver results, citing positive feedback from local government representatives.
“The joy for me is that this is a testimony from the people themselves. These councillors are closest to the grassroots, and they are telling us they have seen and felt the impact.
“That is strong validation that what we are doing is people-oriented and transformative,” he said.
He added that the government would continue to refine its programmes based on feedback from stakeholders.
“We don’t know it all. When people make suggestions, we look at them and see how to incorporate them into our projects. That is where we are today,” he said.
