EU empowers 33,000 households in Yobe, trains 9,000 farmers

No fewer than 33,000 poor and vulnerable households in Yobe State received unconditional cash support, with 281 saving groups established under the European Union Building Resilience in Complex Crisis Programme implemented by the Mercy Corps and Consortium partners, Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and Cooperazione Internationale (COOPI).

In addition, about 9,000 smallholder farmers were trained and supported on climate-smart agriculture while 6,000 youths acquired vocational, entrepreneurship skills and cash grants to start up new and expand existing businesses.”

Speaking during the closeout of the project, yesterday, in Abuja, BRICC Programme Director, Freeman Muleya said that the humanitarian crisis in the Northeast remained one of the most severe in the world, with Yobe being one of the most affected.

He observed that the protracted conflict had weakened state systems and left communities to face aftershocks, as many households were unable to meet their basic needs, with limited access to economic opportunities.

Mukeya noted that the EU BRICC programme in collaboration with the Yobe State government and the private sector worked to address many of these aftershocks using a multi-sectoral intervention and graduation approach consisting of unconditional and conditional cash transfer, financial inclusion, agriculture, social cohesion and asset, youth livelihood, and social protection.

The project, which was implemented in Yobe State in 30 communities across six local councils of Damaturu, Potiskum, Geidam, Gulani, and Gujba, impacted the lives of over 33,000 participants.

He said: “We also worked with the private sector, MTN, Access Bank, NAGIS and Yobe Micro Finance Bank in delivering cash grants to youths. The bank facilitated market linkage for youth to access start-up kits at reasonable prices.

Also speaking, Country Director, Mercy Corps, Ndubuisi Anyanwu, said one of the laudable impacts of the project was the support to Yobe in the development of its social protection policy.

“Social protection is one of the core pillars of recovery, as it provides a guideline on how the government can address the basic needs of its vulnerable dependents. With this policy, key interventions in health, food security, education, economic empowerment, and financial support can be the government, which we hope will be signed off by the governor soon,” he said.

The European Union’s goal for the sustainability of intervention projects is that government institutions are strengthened to continue to deliver life-changing interventions such as those implemented by BRICC. To this end, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), State Operations Coordinating Units (SOCU) under the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, and Yobe State Agricultural Development Programme under the Ministry of Agriculture, received capacity-building to sustain important interventions from the project.