It seems the dream for the actualization of the Anambra Central Fish village, located at Adazi Nnukwu in Anaocha Council Area of Anambra State, may not be dead after all, following an assessment visit to the project site by a delegation from the ECOWAS commission.
The delegation led by the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture at the ECOWAS Commission, Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse, was attracted by the Managing Director, Anambra Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Development Agency, FABDA, as part of efforts to enhance the state’s capacity to become a major table fish producer in the country and ECOWAS region.
Recall that the project is part of the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme, AADS loan of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, attracted by former Governor Willie Obiano for the improvement of infrastructure in rice and aquaculture in Anambra’s three senatorial districts.
It was originally designed to have at least six hundred fish ponds, an industrial borehole system, blast freezing with cold storage components and a power generating system. The Throughput is meant to be 150,000kg of Table Fish per month translating to 1.8 million kilo per annum.
Speaking after he received the ECOWAS delegation, the President General of the host Community, Engr Cyril Anaeto said the community bought into the initiative and gave the land because of the prospects it has for youth development and agriculture in the state.
According to him, with the stance of the currently performing Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo CFR. on Public Private Community Partnership (PPCP), the youths are eager to utilize the facility to strive towards self-reliance through the fisheries and aquaculture business.
“The environment is youth-friendly and very secluded for this kind of business.
“We want to appeal to the ECOWAS Commission to support us to make this thing happen. As a community, we are ready to provide the necessary contributions even as we have provided a major chunk which is the 3 Hectares of land, to ensure that this project comes on stream,” he said.
Responding, the leader of the ECOWAS delegation, Mrs Toure-Litse acknowledged that the project has great potential for the development of fisheries and aquaculture in the state.
According to her, she has instructed the Director for Directorate of Rural Development and Agriculture of the Commission to ensure that the technical team sits together to see what kind of investment the project requires to come alive.
“It is when the report of the technical team is ready that we can approach the Financing and Administrative Committee.
“We are hopeful that the ECOWAS can assist but we don’t want to make any promises too early.
“The technical people need to first, take into account what is already done and make a good evaluation before we can intervene.
“But overall, we really see a great future here and we will work closely with the FABDA MD, Dr Emeka, to see how we can start immediately with a pilot project,” she promised.
The FABDA MD/CEO, Iloghalu had earlier conducted the delegation round the facility, explaining the details of the project and its prospects for the development of fisheries business in the state and ECOWAS region.
