Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, the Ondo State Governor, has formally launched the Ondo State Covid Action Recovery And Economic Stimulus (ONDO-CARES) as part of the measures to cushion the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the poor and vulnerable and stabilise micro and small enterprises affected by the pandemic.
According to Akeredolu, 80,734 beneficiaries which cut across different segments of the population in Ondo state, have been captured and targeted under the implementation of the programme in the State.
The governor said beneficiaries of the intervention include 2,340 poor and vulnerable persons; 3,705 youths (male and female); 4,711 micro and small enterprises; 48,000 beneficiaries of community micro projects; and 21,978 small holder farmers.
The ONDO-CARES intervention programme is an extension of the NG CARES which is an emergency programme aimed at supporting state-level efforts to respond to and recover from the Covid-19-induced socioeconomic crisis.
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He stressed that the launch is a clear demonstration of the readiness and commitment of his administration to the implementation of the Ondo-CARES Programme.
“At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Government put in place several measures aimed at tackling the menace and cushioning its effect on our people. This involved setting up of an Inter-ministerial Committee on COVID-19 and a committee on the distribution of palliatives to the people.
“Also the Infectious Disease Centres were strengthened across the State with special allowances paid to our frontline health workers to motivate them in responding to the challenge. All these efforts, among others, went a long way in stemming the scourge and alleviating its effects on our people.
“Similarly, in a bid to generate employment for our teeming youths and abate social unrest in the State, we set up an indigenous entrepreneurial development agency known as Ondo State Entrepreneurship Agency (ONDEA). I am delighted to inform you that since its establishment, the agency has successfully profiled a number of unemployed graduates and youths based on their skills and technical capabilities,” Akeredolu noted.
