Governor Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto State has approved N14 billion to support vulnerable persons under the ‘Nigeria-Community Action (for) Resilience and Economic Stimulus’ (NG-CARES) programme.

He has also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustaining the NG-CARES programme, a key initiative to support the state’s poor and vulnerable.

Mr Aliyu spoke at the opening of a three-day NG-CARES Zonal Peer Learning Experience Sharing for the stakeholders from Sokoto State, Kebbi, and Zamfara.

The event, which took place in Sokoto on Tuesday, focused on sharing experiences and best practices related to the programme’s implementation.

Represented by the State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Balarabe Kadadi, the governor said the funds had already been disbursed into the accounts of the three relevant Disbursement Link Indicators (DLIs).

“Upon taking office, my administration gave significant attention to the NG-CARES program, fully understanding its importance. We promptly allocated N3 billion for micro-community projects, livelihood support, agricultural inputs, and grants to SMEs.

“This was followed by an additional N9 billion to cover the three key result areas,” Mr Aliyu stated.

He further disclosed that the government had allocated funds for 1,950 beneficiaries under the social cash transfers augmentation scheme, along with N500 million to enrol over 3,000 new beneficiaries.

The governor said 3,041 youths and women in the state had already benefitted from livestock and agricultural processing machines provided through the program.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring the continuity of NG-CARES as a critical tool in addressing poverty and economic challenges in Sokoto.

“The impact of the NG-CARES programme, which has touched the lives of over 90 million Nigerians, is undeniable,” he added.

In her remarks, Elizabeth Egharebwa, chairperson of the NG-CARES Federal CARES Technical Committee (FCTC), described the event as a significant milestone for the programme.

Represented by Peter Kush, director of the project coordination unit at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ms Egharebwa highlighted the importance of sustaining the progress made by NG-CARES.

“While we are proud of our achievements, much work remains to be done,” she added.

(NAN)