The FCTA, through its Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), presented cheques to the first batch of beneficiary communities across the six Area councils.
The initiative is a World Bank programme, designed to cushion the negative economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on residents of the FCT and other participating states.
Performing the official presentation of the cheques to the beneficiary communities, having a total of 33 projects, FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, said the program is leveraging the existing World Bank operations anchored on community-based approaches and structures.
Muhammad Musa Bello, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Malam Bashir Mai-Bornu, said that the FCT-CSDA formulated 14 Community Development Plans (CDP) for implementation of projects, comprising the rehabilitation of primary health care centers, drilling, rehabilitation and upgrading of boreholes and construction and rehabilitation of classrooms across the 6 Area Councils.
He said that following the advance of N1.1 billion NG-CARES funds by the World Bank to FCT, the Administration has commenced subsequent disbursement of this fund to its various delivery platforms, namely FCT FADAMA, Abuja Enterprise Agency AEA), FCT Cash Transfer programme and the FCT-CSDA.
According to him, the objective of the program is to protect livelihoods and food security for poor and vulnerable families negatively impacted by the pandemic and facilitate the recovery of local economic activities.
He reiterated the resolve of the FCT Administration to continue to partner with various development partners with a view to achieving the vision of improving the wellbeing of people in the Territory.
“It is therefore imperative that the direct beneficiaries not only utilize them effectively but also ensure their functionality by owning and protecting them.
”I therefore call on traditional and community leaders to the projects achieve the aims for which they were instill in the people this sense of ownership in ensuring that they conceived.”
