Amaka Obiefuna.

The World Bank, under its Growth and Employment (GEM) scheme, has provided business support for the production of Abakaliki rice. The World Bank is providing financial support to Ainotrans Energy, producers of Abakaliki rice, to enable it engage the services of vendors that will aid in carrying out its marketing drive. The World Bank GEM project is one of the economic empowerment initiatives of the present administration.

The CEO, Ainotrans Energy, Innocent Mbey said: “Abakaliki rice is high quality rice at affordable price. Abakaliki rice is purely natural, 100 per cent local, with very high nutritional value, and 100 per cent stone and husk free. Our rice is produced using the very best practices available and the World Bank support will even help us provide quality food to Nigeria’s teeming population.”

The World Bank said that a mechanism to ensure full implementation of objectives contained in the selected proposals was already in place while a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation work plan had been designed.

The World Bank noted, “is to further support the presidency’s drive to celebrate and empower the most promising and highly scalable indigenous technology start-ups that are providing innovative solutions to local challenge.