The Kaduna State Community and Social Development Agency on Saturday said it is training 1,416 community project managers to ensure quality of basic infrastructural services.

General Manager of the agency, Muhammed Mukaddas, made this known at a one-day training to build the capacities of Community Project Management Committees on micro projects implementation in Kaduna.

Mr Mukaddas said that the training was necessary to empower 177 communities across 23 Local Government Areas with basic knowledge of bookkeeping, community procurement, monitoring, evaluation and maintenance of the project.

He said, “Presently, the agency has concluded appraisal of 177 communities across 23 LGAs of the state in the areas of education, health, water and sanitation as identified by the various communities.’’

He said that the project was part of the agency’s mandate to ensure the reduction in poverty levels within communities.

He added that this would be achieved by bridging the gap of unreached groups through a Community Driven Development approach, targeted at the provision of basic social and infrastructure services in rural and urban poor areas.

On her part, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager of the agency, Oyigwe Sunny, explained that the CDD approach empowered communities on project implementation as identified by the community.

Ms Sunny said, “As part of the agency’s responsibility, we are to bring the government close to the people by guiding the people to carry on with the project implementation.”

She said that the programme was a World Bank supported project tagged, ‘Uba Sani CARES.’

Ms Sunny, therefore, commended the participants for high turnout.

Also, Chairman CPMC Kachia LGA, Ibrahim Mato, commended KADCSDA for the enlightenment toward maintaining infrastructural development in communities.

He promised that each project would be guided by the community for sustainability.

The training was simultaneously held for Kaduna North, Kaduna central and Kaduna South Senatorial zones.

(NAN)