KOGI SECURES $500M WORLD BANK FUNDING TO EXPAND LIVELIHOOD SUPPORT UNDER NG-CARES 2.0
Kogi State has secured $500 million in additional financing to expand livelihood support, food security initiatives, and social protection for poor and vulnerable households under the NG-CARES 2.0 programme.
The funding approval, backed by the World Bank, is expected to significantly scale up the impact of the state’s community-driven development interventions.
The General Manager of the Kogi State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), Chief Momoh Dauda, disclosed this on Wednesday during a two-day capacity-building training for Local Government Review Committees and Desk Officers held in Okene.
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Dauda said the NG-CARES 2.0 programme would build on the successes recorded under NG-CARES 1.0, which delivered wide-ranging community development projects across the state.
According to him, under NG-CARES 1.0, the agency implemented 74 Community Development Plans (CDPs) and 187 micro-projects across various local government areas, directly benefiting over 2.5 million residents in Kogi State.
He expressed confidence that the new phase would surpass previous achievements, noting that NG-CARES 2.0 comes with an additional $500 million financing to deepen impact and reach more vulnerable communities.
“The agency will surpass its previous accomplishments with NG-CARES 2.0, which has an additional financing of $500 million,” Dauda said.
He commended Governor Usman Ododo for demonstrating strong political will by releasing counterpart funds for the programme even before its official commencement in December, describing the move as a clear sign of commitment to poverty reduction and social inclusion.
The World Bank-supported NG-CARES 2.0 programme is designed to expand access to livelihood support, food security services, and grants for poor and vulnerable individuals, households, and communities.
The training programme brought together participants from Adavi, Ajaokuta, Okehi, Okene, Ogori Magongo, Kabba Bunu, Ijumu, Mopa Amuro, Yagba East, and Yagba West local government areas.
Dauda explained that the training was aimed at strengthening the technical, institutional, and operational capacities of local government officials to ensure effective implementation, monitoring, and oversight of Community Development Plans (CDPs) and Group Development Plans (GDPs).
He added that participants were trained on NG-CARES objectives, implementation frameworks, environmental and social safeguards, gender mainstreaming, and the inclusion of vulnerable groups.
The programme featured interactive sessions led by senior government officials, technical experts, and agency managers, encouraging knowledge sharing and collaboration.
Speaking on behalf of participants, Aina Ekundayo, Director of Local Government, Yagba East, described the training as timely and impactful, saying the knowledge gained would significantly improve implementation of NG-CARES 2.0 at the grassroots level.