The Katsina State Government wishes to provide clarity regarding the recent N15,455,420,486.35 received from the World Bank through the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
This sum represents a reimbursement to the Katsina State Government for KT-CARES activities conducted in 2023, not fresh relief funds as reported by some media outlets.
The Coordinator/Head of KT-CARES, Nafiu Muhammad Musa, explained, “The Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme is an emergency operation designed to support budgeted expenditures and interventions at the State level. It targets existing and newly emerging vulnerable and poor households, agricultural value chains, and Micro and Small Enterprises affected by the economic crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He further clarified, “NG-CARES is a Programme for Results (PforR) Intervention where States and FCT invest their resources, produce results in-line with the agreed protocol, and get reimbursed by the Federal Government after an Independent Verification Exercise. The Federal Government has reimbursed the State the sum of N15,455,420,486.35 after an Independence Verification Assessment (IVA) in January 2024.”
In furtherance to this, Mr. Musa highlighted that in December 2023, His Excellency, the Executive Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, PhD, CON, invested N2 billion in the Programme, which led to this significant return on investment.
It is important to note that KT-CARES is implementing six Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) across three Result Areas:
1. Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA)
2. FADAMA
3. Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA)
The beneficiaries of the Programme from its three Result Areas are:
– CSDA: Supported 9,316 beneficiaries on Livelihood Support and 449,756 direct beneficiaries on Micro Projects across education, health, nutrition, water & sanitation, and flood and erosion sectors.
– FADAMA: Supported 7,820 farmers with Agricultural Inputs/Services and 15,980 farmers with Agricultural Assets.
– KASEDA: Supported 3,696 firms with operational support grants and 139 firms with IT enhancement tools.
Mr. Musa stated, “The KT-CARES, through implementing agencies, plans to reach out to more beneficiaries across the state in 2024. His Excellency, the Executive Governor of the State, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda PhD CON, has approved the reinvestment of more resources to earn more return on investment through KT-CARES.”
This clarification is crucial to ensure accurate information dissemination and highlights the State Government’s commitment to transparent and effective utilization of funds for the benefit of Katsina State residents.
