The Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Stimulus (NG-CARES), a World Bank assisted project says it is commencing the first phase of its intervention programme, with N1.1 billion to 43, 000 vulnerable persons as beneficiaries in Nasarawa State.
The NG-CARES being a state-focused programme is a tripartite agreement developed between the World Bank, the Federal and the State Governments to mitigate the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the people.
Umar Dahiru, the NG-CARES Coordinator in the state, who stated this during a press briefing in Lafia said, the released of the said fund was part of the $20 million (N8.3 billion) earmarked for the implementation of the programme in the state.
He said, their commitment was to cushion the effect of the economy on Nigeria masses, which affected the livelihood and businesses of many residents of the State.
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The N-CARES coordinator stressed that, the programme was specifically for the poor and vulnerable segments of the society, which hope to address seven intervention projects, especially in the areas of nutrition, agriculture and rural road network.
He added, about 120, 000 poor and vulnerable persons would benefit directly from the programme through the stipends, provision of farm inputs among others, across the 13 local government areas of the state.
“Micro projects to poor communities with basic infrastructure in education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation; provision of farm inputs and services such as seed, fertilizer and herbicides to poor individuals from farming communities; provision of farmers’ assets for production to add value to harvested farm yields and mitigate food wastages to poor farming associations from communities.
“Rehabilitation of rural roads and provision of access roads to poor and rural farming communities from the farmlands to markets; wet markets support through water and sanitation infrastructure to conform to the COVID-19 realities.”
