FG restates commitment to food security, MSEs growth
The Federal Government has said that it is determined to maintain food security and facilitate the growth of Medium and Small Enterprises in the country.
The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, said this in Yola during at ministerial town hall meeting on the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme.
The meeting attracted participants from Adamawa and Taraba.
The Minister, who was represented by the Chairman Federal Technical Committee, NG-CARES,Mr Aso Vakporaye, said the Programme was one of the policy options to impact on no fewer than 2 million direct beneficiaries.
“One of President Buhari’s strategies is to intermittently meet with, and engage stakeholders as part of government’s accountability to the citizens.
“The purpose basically is to hear first-hand views of our people on government policies and programmes and to feel the pulse of Nation,” he said.
He said government had taken efforts to scale up its programme under the social protection agenda and to respond to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Federal Government accessed a World Bank concessional loan in the sum of $750 million on behalf of the 36 States and FCT.
“It is meant to stimulate the local economy and increase households’ consumption among the poor and vulnerable segment of the society,” he said.
In his own speech, Vakporaye expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for the programme.
Vakporaye, whose speech was read by Head Financial Management, Federal CARE Support Unit, Abubakar Bisala, acknowledged support from some state Governors that released funds to support the programme.
In his remarks, Chairman Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), Adamawa,Yusuf Audu, said the programme had yielded positive results some communities in the state.
He said the programme had impacted on the communities in the form of provision of quality drinking water, road, education, health services, electricity.
A beneficiary, Altine Abdulkarim, 62, a female farmer from Yola-North Local Government, said she harvested 25 bags of rice and paid her children’s school fees from the gains she made from the programme.
