The World Bank-supported Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme has disbursed grants to 12,423 farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), providing critical support to agricultural productivity and economic recovery.
This announcement was made by the Mandate Secretary of FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS), Mr. Lawan Geidam on Wednesday at the inauguration of the Pre-Field Training for Enumerators responsible for generating field data for the FCT FADAMA CARES programme.
The event took place in Gwagwalada as part of preparations for the Endline and Beneficiaries Impact Assessment Survey, New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
He also noted that the World Bank has approved the second phase of the FCT FADAMA COVID-19 NG-CARES programme.
NG-CARES 1.0 Achievements and Expansion Plans
Geidam noted that the Federal Government had sought additional financing from the World Bank following the successes recorded during the initial phase of the NG-CARES 1.0 programme nationwide. In response, the World Bank approved the request and renamed the initiative the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES 2.0), which is set to commence in June.
According to him, the training session marked the beginning of technical closure processes for NG-CARES 1.0 while preparing for the next phase.
“I am glad to inform all that under the NG-CARES 1.0, FCT FADAMA CARES successfully disbursed grants to 12,423 individual beneficiaries from 181 Farmers Community Associations across the FCT. Out of these, 8,190 beneficiaries, representing 66% of the total disbursements, received support in less than two years under our administration,” Geidam stated.
He reiterated that the FCT CARES Programme, backed by the World Bank, was an emergency response initiative designed to help farmers recover from the economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception in 2022, the programme has supported poor and vulnerable farmers across the FCT.
Strengthening Food and Nutritional Security
Geidam emphasized that the programme represents a critical milestone for the secretariat in its mission to ensure food and nutritional security in the FCT. He commended the achievements of the FCT FADAMA CARES programme during the first phase and assured beneficiaries of continued support as the second phase unfolds.
He urged the enumerators undergoing training to take full advantage of the opportunity provided by the FCT FADAMA CARES programme, as their work would play a crucial role in the successful conduct of the endline and beneficiary impact assessment survey.
Programme Goals and Implementation Report
The Acting FCT FADAMA CARES Coordinator, Hussaini Iliyasu, reaffirmed that the programme’s primary objective is to enhance food security and ensure the seamless operation of the agricultural supply chain. He noted that NG-CARES serves as a World Bank-funded budget support initiative aimed at assisting vulnerable and impoverished households engaged in agricultural value chains within the FCT.
- He assured the mandate secretary of the team’s dedication to ensuring the successful closure of NG-CARES 1.0 and the smooth rollout of NG-CARES 2.0.
- Similarly, the FCT CARES Coordinator, Mr. Uba Bala, disclosed that the World Bank has recommended the implementation of a Programme Completion Report to assess the effectiveness of the initiative and identify areas for improvement.
NAN reports that one of the key highlights of the event was the handover of office equipment to the FCT FADAMA CARES desk offices across the six area councils, further strengthening the programme’s implementation infrastructure.
