ASABA/Nigeria: Delta State Government (DTSG) has fully keyed into the Federal Government and World Bank economic interventionist programme, tagged the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme.
This was evident in the setting up and inauguration of the Delta State CARES Steering Committee by His Excellency, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of the state.
The 9-member committee, which was charged with the responsibility of providing oversight and policy guidelines for the effective implementation of the programme in the state was to be presided over by the Commissioner for Economic Planning in the state, Dr. Barry Gbe, and had the policy heads of the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that would be implementing the programme in the state as members with Lady Patience Ogbewe, Director, Overseas Development Assistance Department, Ministry of Economic Planning, as the Secretary and designated state CARES Coordinator.
Besides providing guidance and oversight during the duration of the CARES programme, the Committee would meet frequently to consider issues affecting the programme and take appropriate actions, as well as consider and approve annual work plans.
The committee would also provide periodic updates to the governor every six months, or as may be required.
At the inaugural meeting of the committee, held in Asaba, the state capital, it was revealed that the NG-CARES programme was a short-term response to the economic crisis occasioned by the outbreak of the Corona Virus Pandemic in Nigeria.
Lady Ogbewe said that the Delta COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (CARES) was designed to support budgeted government interventions at the state level, which was to focus on targeting existing and emerging vulnerable and poor households, farmers, as well as micro and small enterprises (MSEs ) affected by the pandemic.
She explained that the Programme Development Objective (PDO) was to expand access to livelihood support and food security services and give grants to the poor and vulnerable households and enterprises.
The programme outlined a two-year financial support to states to achieve results in three main areas.
She disclosed that Result Area 1 was about increasing cash transfers and livelihood support to the poor and vulnerable households by supporting the scaling up of existing safety net interventions at the state level, while the safety net interventions would expand the coverage of social transfers, labour intensive public work opportunities in the social sectors, livelihood grants and social service infrastructure micro projects.
Speaking on Result Area 2, she stated that the focus would be on increasing food security and safe functioning of food supply chain for poor households, adding that It would support scaling up interventions that would help farmers increase food production and facilitate smooth functioning of the food supply chain, just as she said that the interventions supported by Result Area 2 included provision of seeds, fertilizers and agricultural extension services to farmers, opportunities to improve agricultural infrastructure, provision of agricultural inputs to mitigate food loss and upgrading wet markets to allow safe buying and selling of food produce.
The focus of Result Area 3 is on facilitating recovery and enhancing capabilities of medium and small scale enterprises (MSEs).
It would support scaling up interventions that help MSEs, through grants to support post COVID-19 loans, grants to support operational costs and enhance ICT capabilities.
The programme is expected to commence in April 2021 and would run for two years, while for effective and efficient delivery, the it would leverage on existing platforms in the state, such as the State Fadama Coordination Office, Community Driven Development Social Implementation Unit (CDDSIU)and the Delta State Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency (DEMSA), among others, in delivering the mandates for the result areas.
Dr. Barry Gbe said that different team leads are expected to develop work plans which their Team Leads would bring to the steering committee for consideration and onward transmission to the State Executive Council for approval. When approved, the Delta CARES Coordinating Unit would be tasked with the responsibility monitoring and reporting progress to the Steering Committee on the implementation activities of the Delivery Platforms.
