No fewer than 922 youths and women in Edo on Monday benefited from the first batch of the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Project, Edo Livelihood Support grant.
The beneficiaries are from the first batch under the Livelihood Support Disbursement Linked Indicator (DLI 1.3) of the EDO CARES Project fourth phase, implemented by the State Cash Transfer Unit.
This information was contained in a statement signed by the Training and Communication Officer of the Edo State Cash Transfer Unit, Mrs Adesuwa Agbonavbare, and made available to journalists on Monday in Benin.
Agbonavbare said the grant programme aimed at supporting existing businesses of youths and women from poor and vulnerable households to improve consumption and end the cycle of poverty.
“The grant transfers followed verification and enrollment of eligible beneficiaries who are youths and women in 11 Local Government Areas of the state. The beneficiaries are drawn from the State Social Register of the poor and vulnerable.
“As part of the process leading up to the grant transfer, the beneficiaries also received livelihood and soft skills training,” she said.
She said that the grant sizes were determined by the micro business plans and trade areas of the grantees, while the grants were transferred directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
The statement added that the payment would enable the beneficiaries to buy the necessary equipment required to improve their different trades, as well as sustainably enhance their means of livelihood.
She added, “All appreciation must go to the Governor of Edo State, Gov. Godwin Obaseki, who understood the plight of the people in this harsh economic situation.
“Obaseki believed in the intervention and made the resources available for the benefit of the poor and vulnerable who are benefitting today.”
She disclosed that more beneficiaries were expected to receive their grants, which range from N100,000 to 200,000 per beneficiary, as soon as they complete their bank account opening formalities.
She added that the EDO CARES Livelihood Support Programme was one of the disbursement-linked indicators under the NG-CARES Project in Edo and was a World Bank performance-for-results project.
