FG, W/Bank Supporting Social Programmes With $1.8bn, Minister Says
The Federal Government and the World Bank are supporting social safety programmes in Nigeria with about $1.8bn, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, has said.
Farouq said this in Abuja during an interactive session with State Focal Persons on the National Social Investment Programme.
She said the World Bank Group approved $500m International Development Association credit to support the establishment of programmes targeted at economic development in Nigeria in June 2016.
According to her, the Federal Government also pledged an additional $1.3bn from its budget to create the social safety net programmes, which came to be known as the National Social Investment Programme.
Farouq said over four million Nigerians had directly benefitted from job training, financial assistance and social development through the programmes so far.
She urged the State Focal Persons to be more proactive in the delivery of social investment programmes, especially to the most vulnerable people across the country.
Farouq said the purpose of the meeting was to map out ways to improve the Nigerian Social Investment Programme delivery, share regional best practices and lessons learnt within the states.
She noted that the meeting was to strategise on means of strengthening and sustaining the programme, devise strategies to strengthen the NSIP value chain and improve the public and private sectors’ support.
Farouq said, “The meeting will further enable the programme managers, in this case the State Focal Persons, to be more proactive and strategic in the delivery of this important programme, most especially to the most vulnerable in the society.
“There is no doubt in my mind therefore that the creation of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development will provide the much-needed coordination and necessary supervision with a view to adequately institutionalising the entire process for enhanced sustainability.”
Citing some of the aims and gains of the programme, she said the NSIP had the potential to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2023, increase school enrolment and create more jobs.
