Oyo Completes 88km Rural Roads, Markets Under RAAMP
The Oyo State Government has completed 88.02 kilometres of rural roads and several modern markets under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), as part of efforts to improve rural connectivity and reduce rural-urban migration.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Barr. Olasunkanmi Olaleye, disclosed this on Wednesday during an inspection tour of the completed projects across Akinyele, Ido, Oluyole and Ona Ara local government areas.
Olaleye said the projects, executed under the first phase of RAAMP, are designed to improve access to farms and agricultural markets while establishing a sustainable framework for road development, maintenance and administration in rural communities.
According to him, the initiative is a joint intervention between the Oyo State Government and the World Bank aimed at addressing the transportation challenges faced by rural farmers due to poor road infrastructure.
He explained that the project focuses on two major components — rural roads and markets — to enhance economic opportunities for farming communities and reduce food transportation costs across the state.
The commissioner stated that the government had completed the surface dressing of the 36.4-kilometre Alako Idi-Iya–Batake–Ijaye Farm Settlement Road, while work on the Adebayo-Alata to Aba Oje Road is nearing completion.
He added that other ongoing road projects include the Fasola Farm Settlement Road, Interchange/Oloko Road in Oyo, Ikere George Dam Road in Iseyin, Tewure-Ila Junction Road in Oriire Local Government Area, Ogbomoso, and the Okudi-Oyada Road in Atisbo Local Government Area, Saki.
“The objective is to ensure that farmers and rural dwellers can conveniently transport their produce from farms to markets and urban centres,” he said.
On market infrastructure, Olaleye disclosed that Akanran Market and Oja Oba Market in Igboora, Ibarapa Central Local Government Area, have been completed, while Oja Agbe Market in Iseyin is close to completion.
He said the government is developing three major markets under the initiative to improve market access for rural farmers, encourage economic activities and make fresh farm produce more accessible to consumers.
The commissioner further revealed that the total cost of the 88.02-kilometre road projects stands at ₦16.273 billion.
Speaking on the quality of the road projects, the project’s road supervisor, Engr. Atilade Otunla, said the roads were constructed using surface dressing technology instead of asphalt, describing the method as more cost-effective, faster to deploy and durable when properly maintained.
Also, the supervising consultant for the Aare Alasa Agbejoda Market, Engr. Basit Opeloyeru, said the facility includes 500 metres of asphalt roads, a 60m by 30m warehouse, an administrative building, two blocks of 40 lock-up shops, six open shed blocks with 10 units each, a large open shed, and separate toilet facilities for men, women and persons living with disabilities.
Residents of the benefiting communities commended Governor Seyi Makinde for the intervention, describing the projects as impactful and beneficial to rural development.
