As part effort to cushion the effects of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, Kano state has secured a grant from Japan Government, and European Union (EU) targeted at specific individuals and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The grants are expected to be used to support communities that are badly affected by the pandemic, a statement made available to BusinessDay from Kano State Government, Thursday, disclosed.
According to the statement, the grants were Facilitated from the Office of the Special Adviser to Governor Ganduje on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Habibu Yahaya Hotoro, who also happens to be the Coordinating Focal Person of the Northwest Zonal SDGs Hub, the program would alleviate some fears of what people could face in POST-COVID-19 period.
A total sum of $1.1m is slated for the exercise. In a Cash-For-Work arrangement, the total number of 1,600 individuals will benefit. While 630 SMEs will also be part of the beneficiaries in the grant distribution process.
Intimating governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in a letter referenced ORG/4071 and dated 3rd of August, 2020, signed by Lealem Dinku, Officer in Charge, UNDP Nigeria and captioned “Support to communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Kano state,” it is stated that, “…the United Nations has undertaken several initiatives to support the communities affected by the pandemic.”
It earlier stated that “…the COVID-19 pandemic has caused infections, deaths and untold hardships to the most vulnerable particularly the urban poor in hotspots locations across the nation…”
The letter sent to the governor continued that, “It is in this regard that UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria in collaboration with the government of Japan, has initiated a project to support selected vulnerable communities affected by the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 to minimize the impact of job and livelihood losses and to also help contain the spread of the Virus.”
“We have identified Kano state…as key target state and will be working closely with your office and selected communities in implementing this initiative,” concludes the letter.
Governor Ganduje directed that the most vulnerable people should be the target. As hinted by Hotoro, “His Excellency Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, after directing that our target should be the most vulnerable, he also made us open 500 new bank accounts for those who never benefited in any form of intervention in the past.”
Explaining that, governor Ganduje directed that all bank charges must be paid on behalf of those identified and selected beneficiaries, “All in an effort to effectively cushion the effect of the hardships caused by the pandemic,” he concludes.
