The Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme, supported by the World Bank, has provided grants to 12,423 farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to boost agricultural productivity and economic recovery.
Mandate Secretary of the FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS), Mr. Lawan Geidam, made this known on Wednesday during the inauguration of the Pre-Field Training for Enumerators under the FCT FADAMA CARES programme.
The event, held in Gwagwalada, was part of preparations for the Endline and Beneficiaries Impact Assessment Survey.
Geidam further revealed that, following the success of NG-CARES 1.0, the Federal Government sought additional financing from the World Bank, leading to the approval of a second phase, renamed the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES 2.0), which is set to commence in June.
He noted that the training session signified the start of technical closure for NG-CARES 1.0 while laying the groundwork for the next phase.
“I am glad to inform all that under NG-CARES 1.0, FCT FADAMA CARES successfully disbursed grants to 12,423 individual beneficiaries from 181 Farmers Community Associations across the FCT. Out of these, 8,190 beneficiaries—representing 66% of total disbursements—received support in less than two years under our administration,” he stated.
Geidam reiterated that the FCT CARES Programme, backed by the World Bank, was designed to support farmers affected by the economic disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its launch in 2022, the programme has provided critical assistance to poor and vulnerable farmers across the FCT.
