NG-CARES project impacts two million beneficiaries

Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba says at least two million direct beneficiaries have been impacted by the country’s Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus NG-CARES programme.

The NG-Cares is a programme aimed at mitigating the impact of covid -19 on poor and vulnerable households as well as businesses.

The Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus NG-cares initiative, is a fallout of the $750m credit facility received by government from the world bank to aid the country’s thirty six states and the FCT in creating programmes that will mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on target beneficiaries.

The country’s states and the fct got the funds as emergency relief to poor, vulnerable, small holder farmers and SMEs negatively affected by Covid-19.

The fiscal authorities say reports from the project’s implementation show at least two million people have benefitted.

Zamfara state emerged best in the utilisation of the first disbursement totaling 45.3billion naira as grants given the states under the NG-cares programme

Seven states including Benue, Ebonyi, Kogi, Taraba, Enugu, Ogun and jmo who’ve didn’t make progress in the first disbursement, were unable to relay the advance.

The fiscal authorities say states that didn’t get reimbursed under the current round would be paid in other rounds.

They also add that going forward, there will be more assessments and eligible States that meet the criteria will be reimbursed accordingly.