Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has commended the World Bank, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and State Governments for their collaborative efforts in establishing the NG-CARES Programme which was initially conceived as an emergency intervention to support State governments in addressing the socio-economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Governor gave the commendation at the South South Independent Verification Agents (IVA) performance review meeting under the Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme held at the Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba.
Governor Oborevwori, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Kingsley Emu noted that as one of the State’s flagship programmes, the NG-CARES programme has significantly impacted on the lives of the poor and vulnerable citizens especially in the areas of poverty reduction, economic growth and social development.
Governor Oborevwori reiterated that the programme has impacted 306,177 direct beneficiaries and over 1,200,000 indirect beneficiaries thus far, even as the State looks forward to increasing the numbers and strengthening the intervention horizontally and vertically as it proceeds to the next phase of NG-CARES 2.0.
He equally noted that a key feature of the next phase of the programme which is a community action approach, that empowers communities to drive the programme from the ground up and by this ensure that interventions meet the real needs of local people whereby the most vulnerable are reached, and communities take ownership of projects like building and rehabilitating social infrastructure.
He said that by putting communities at the heart of planning and implementation, NG-CARES will deliver deeper impact, stronger accountability, and more sustainable development at the grassroots level.
In his welcome remarks, the World Bank Task Team Leader Dr. Lire Ersado commended the state government and the other States for partnering with the World Bank to support the poor and the vulnerable, which he said has immensely contributed to their economic wellbeing.
He noted that Independent Verification Agents play a crucial role in the intervention programmes by providing unbiased and objective assessment of programmes, thus evaluating the effectiveness, credibility, and impact of the Independent Verification Agents under NG-CARES1.0
In her remarks, the State Coordinator of D-Cares, Dr. Patience Ogbewe said the South South Independent Verification Agents (IVA) Performance Review meeting is envisioned in determining the effectiveness of the IVA in the effectiveness of the programme.
She stated that the meeting outcomes would create a veritable roadmap towards the engagement of an independent verification agent under the 2.0 dispensation, which the programme is migrating to.
