The Kwara State Government has announced that it will collaborate with the Federal Government of Nigeria on a $59 million agro-processing initiative to address the repeated herders-farmers conflict in the state.

The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Mallam Rafiu Ajakaye, disclosed this at the 37th Media Parliament of the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

He explained that the agro-processing project would be funded by the Islamic Development Bank.

The initiative by the Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq-led administration, according to him, is to end the practice of herders moving from one community to the other with attendant clashes with farmers and local land holders.

Ajakaye added that the Islamic Development Bank is funding the agro-processing zone in order to revamp and refocus the livestock sector.

He stated that emphasis would be on improving the living standard of the herders by providing basic necessities like animal feeds, water, schools for their children, healthcare, and modest housing, among other things.

The governor’s spokesman said the initiative will instantly increase cattle milk production, improve their health, and end the practice of herders moving from one community to the other .

Ajakaye further added that the state government was resolved to complete the Kwara State University (KWASU) satellite campuses at Osi and Ilesha Baruba, which were envisioned and started by the previous administration.