Anambra State Rural-to-Market Connectivity Bill

Purpose

To prioritise transport-infrastructure investment connecting agricultural communities to markets and aggregation points.

Problem Statement

Farming communities are often the last to receive transport investment despite agriculture representing a significant share of local livelihoods, resulting in high post-harvest loss and weak bargaining power for farmers unable to reach markets easily.

Legislative Objectives

• Prioritise transport links along the Farm → Collection → Market → Processing → Consumer chain.
• Coordinate with the Agricultural Value-Chain Development Bill on aggregation-centre access roads.
• Ensure rural connectivity is represented within the Economic Corridor Map.

Definitions

Rural Connectivity Priority Route

A road or transport link connecting an agricultural community to a market, aggregation centre or processing point, identified for priority investment.

Proposed Provisions

1. 1.A requirement to identify Rural Connectivity Priority Routes as part of an initial statewide transport assessment.
2. 2.Explicit inclusion of farm-to-aggregation and farm-to-market routes in transport-corridor prioritisation scoring.
3. 3.Coordination with the Agricultural Value-Chain Development Bill on aggregation-centre siting.

Institutional Responsibilities

• Relevant State ministry of works as implementation partner for statewide road investment.
• Office of the Member representing Nnewi South I to coordinate local route identification with farmer cooperatives.

Financing Implications

Financed through the same capital-budget, constituency-fund and development-partner channels as other transport priorities, with potential agricultural-sector development-partner co-financing given the rural-livelihoods rationale.

Implementation Mechanism

2027: Rural Connectivity Priority Routes identified alongside baseline agricultural data collection. 2028 onward: priority route investment.

Monitoring Mechanism

Tracked under the Infrastructure category of the Accountability Dashboard.

Expected Outcomes

• Reduced post-harvest loss through faster farm-to-market transport.
• Improved farmer bargaining power through easier market access.
• Stronger integration between rural agricultural communities and Anambra State's wider economy.

Legal Considerations

This proposal is intended to operate within the legislative competence of the Anambra State House of Assembly and in conformity with applicable federal law, including the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Land Use Act, the Public Procurement Act and relevant sector legislation. Final drafting will be reviewed by legislative counsel prior to introduction.