Lagos — The World Bank has said Nigeria would not achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, unless it addressed the problems of women in poverty.

World Bank representative at the IFAD-assisted Community Based Assisted Rural Develop-ment Programme (CBR-DP), Mr Chudi Okafor, said this in Gusau, shortly after inspecting projects executed with IFAD's assistance in Zamfara State.

The Community-Based Assisted Rural Develop-ment Programme (CBA-RDP) is an extended programme of IFAD which is being executed in some states of the federation.

"MDGs can never be met unless we address the issue of women in the north; there is so much manifestation of poverty in the rural areas," Okafor said.

He said the MDGs were aimed at improving the living conditions of the rural poor with emphasis to the vulnerable groups, using the community driven development approach.

"Four of the Millennium Development Goals are basically targeting women, because they are mainly concerned with addressing the women related issues in the society", he noted.

He said it was for that reason that the World Bank, in collaboration with IFAD, was intervening to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

Okafor urged the pogrammes officers to increase the number of women participants, adding that they should not be restricted to farming activities.

"Increase the number of women in IFAD programmes; do not restrict them to farming occupation; allow them to take their decision and give them all the support," he said.

In his remarks, the IFAD national coordinator, Dr Bukar Tijjani, thanked the team leader for the projects in Zamfara State.

Tijjani advised IFAD to follow the concept of the programme properly for the achievement of the desired goals.

The projects inspected by the team included boreholes, schools, roads, dispensaries and training centres in the 14 local government areas of the state.