Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has inaugurated a seven-man Agriculture Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (AGRIC-MEAL) team to boost food security and agricultural development in the state.
The team members include the Special Adviser/Director-General, Office of Transformation and Service Delivery, Dr.
DJohn Ekundayo (Coordinator), Olusola Salami (Secretary), Prof. Segun Ajibola, Solomon Ekundayo, Adebiyi Adebayo Ojo, Adetunji Aribasoye, and Toba Fatula.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Ado-Ekiti, Governor Oyebanji said the initiative represents a major step in his administration’s utmost commitment to ensuring boost agricultural productivity and food sufficiency in the state.
The governor represented by his Chief of Staff, Niyi Adebayo said that the team, led by Ekundayo will track agricultural programmes and interventions, provide credible data, and evaluate result with a focus on evidence-based outcomes.
Oyebanji highlighted the team’s role in enhancing efficiency, driving innovation, and ensuring that agricultural programs deliver measurable and sustainable results as well as amplify the voices of farmers and other stakeholders.
While congratulating the OTSD DG on his appointment as the leader of the Team, the governor expressed confidence in his leadership to deliver effectively on the team’s mandate.
He, however, tasked members of the Team to provide credible data, offer practical recommendations and evaluate results with a focus on evidence-based outcomes for the sustainability of food security and economic development.
Ekundayo expressed appreciation to Governor Oyebanji for the confidence reposed in him to serve as the leader of the team.
He described the appointment as a call to service and purposeful action as well as a challenge to strengthen agriculture, which according to him remains a core part of the state’s economy and source of livelihood for Ekiti people.
The Special Adviser pledged the team’s commitment to monitoring, evaluating and depicting accountability, in order to reform and remodel policies accordingly for agriculture to thrive in Ekiti.
He assured said the Team would work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, civil society groups, development partners, and the farming communities in order to bolster food security and make Ekiti the food basket of the nation.
“This Inauguration is not just a ceremony; it is a call to purposeful action. As we all know, agriculture remains a critical and core part of the Ekiti State’s economy, and a source of livelihood for the majority of our people. However, for agriculture to thrive, we must go beyond implementation we must monitor, evaluate, depict accountability as well as learn from what we do. In our mutual learning, policies will be reformed or remodeled accordingly.
“The AGRIC-MEAL Team has been established to serve as the backbone of performance tracking and learning within the agricultural sector. The team, as approved by the Governor, is charged with ensuring that policies, programmes, and projects are not only effectively executed but also that they deliver measurable and sustainable outcomes and impacts on the lives of our farmers and rural communities.
“Our approach will be data-driven, participatory, transparent, and Inclusive. We will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, development partners, civil society groups, farming communities and Ekitikete. We will prioritize learning, not blame; progress, not paperwork. We will not only identify what works; we will point out what doesn’t work; why it doesn’t work, and going further to pinpoint what needs to change”, he added.
