Agricultural Investment Fund Scam of 130 Billion FCFA: The Ministry of Agriculture Denies Allegations

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock (MASAE), headed by Dr. Cheikhou Oumar Ba, issued a public statement warning about the circulation of a fake "Call for Projects" on social media. This document, fraudulently claiming to be from the Ministry, proposes a purported Agricultural Investment Fund (FIA) with an endowment of 130 billion CFA francs.

According to the information contained in this fake notice, individual subsidies ranging from 5 to 500 million FCFA would be granted to agricultural project promoters.

“The Ministry formally and categorically denies the authenticity of this notice. It clarifies that the 130 billion FCFA envelope corresponds to the overall budget mobilized by the State for the agricultural campaign, particularly for inputs, fertilizers, seeds and mechanization. It does not in any way constitute a venture capital fund or a direct cash subsidy scheme intended for individual private projects according to the terms presented in this false document,” the statement reads.

The ministry "calls on producers, agricultural professional organizations, groups, and all citizens to exercise the utmost vigilance." "It asks them not to share this fraudulent call for projects and not to pay any money, application fees, or any other form of compensation to individuals claiming to be part of this supposed program," it added.

Furthermore, the ministry reminds that only the official channels of the ministry are authoritative for any information relating to the programs, support mechanisms and financing arrangements of the agro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheries sector.

MASAE reserves the right to take all necessary legal action against the perpetrators and accomplices of this attempted scam. It urges everyone to remain vigilant and to systematically verify the source of information before sharing or engaging in any activity.