NIGERIA COVID-19 ACTION RECOVERY AND ECONOMIC STIMULUS
(NG-CARES)

The Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) is a World Bank assisted program aimed at mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on the Nigerian economy, businesses, livelihoods and the most vulnerable persons in the society. It also aims at stimulating the recovery and growth of the economy by strengthening food supply chains, and enhancing capabilities of MSMEs. The programme uses the Program for Results (PforR) financing framework to implement budgeted pro-poor activities across the following three Result Areas:

• Results Area 1: Increased social transfers, basic services, and livelihood support to poor and vulnerable households;
• Results Area 2:  Improved mitigation of the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on food security of poor and vulnerable households and safe functioning of food supply chains; and
• Results Area 3: Support accelerated recovery and enhancement of the capabilities of Medium and Small Scale Industries.

While NG-CARES is a country-wide program coordinated at the federal level, but implemented by using existing, strong and well-performing state-level platforms.  In Anambra State, the implementing units/agencies are as follows:

• Anambra Conditional Cash Transfer Unit
• Anambra State Community & Social Development Agency (ANCSDA)
• Anambra State FADAMA Coordinating Office
• Anambra Small Business Agency (ASBA)

KEY INTERVENTIONS

• Social Transfer

Stipulated bimonthly payment of NGN 20,000 to beneficiaries mined from the State Social Register for a period of 24 months

• Labour Intensive Public Workfare

Stipulated monthly payment of NGN 12,500 to unemployed and unskilled youth and women from poor and vulnerable households, aged between 18-45 years, and with educational qualification of SSCE or below mined from the SSR, enrolled and deployed to perform identified public works.

• Livelihood Support Grant

Training of beneficiaries mined from the Social Security Register on a short skill vocation selected from a menu of eligible options and payment of one-off grant ranging from N150,000-200,000 based on screening of micro-business plan submitted.

• Access to Basic Services

The programme empowers the communities to choose, plan, co-finance, implement, monitor, as well as maintain sustainable and socially inclusive multi-sectoral micro projects. Project Cost must be not less than N10,000,000.

• Agricultural Inputs and Services

Here, small scale farmers received inputs ranging from maize, rice, cassava and poultry inputs totaled to an average sum of N71,238 per farmer

• Agricultural Assets

Provide farmers with individual and group assets for crop production and processing amounting to an average sum of N79,642.86.

• Conditional Matching Grants to Support New Loans

Provision of grants amounting to finance up to 40% of the amount of new/outstanding loans originated by qualifies financial institutions to co-finance qualified beneficiaries in COVID-19 crisis (maximum of N100,000 for microbusinesses and Maximum of N500,000 for Small businesses)

• IT Enhancement Grants

Provision of grants to support adoption and upgrade of digital technology (Max of 200,000 for Micro and Max of N1,000,000 for Small)

N-POWER

N-POWER is one of the FGN Social Investment Programmes developed to ease economic and social challenges in Nigeria by addressing issues of youth unemployment.

NATIONAL HOME-GROWN SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (NHGSFP)

National Home-Grown School Feeding (NHGSF) is a school feeding program that provides food produced and purchased locally to school pupil in Primaries 1-3 in 1060 government led Primary Schools in the State.

GOVERNMENT ENTERPRISE EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME (GEEP)

GEEP was created to provide to poor and vulnerable Nigerians with access to credit. The targeted beneficiaries of GEEP include Persons with Disability (PWDs), Under privileged youths, Orphans, Artisans, Vulnerable Women and Farmers. The loans are collateral free and interest free. The age bracket for the programme is 18-55years.

The 3 Loan Scheme of GEEP are: TRADERMONI, MARKETMONI and FARMERMONI.

• Tradermoni focuses on empowering underprivileged youth who are artisans, artist, tailors, or craftmen with a credit of N50,000 that is repayable in 6 months
• Marketmoni provides underprivileged women (i.e. Widows) with access to credit of N50,000 that is repayable in 6 months
• Farmermoni targets farmers in the rural areas, with crop or seedlings worth N300,000.

STATE CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMME

The State Cash Transfer Programme gives the poorest and the most vulnerable households monthly cash transfer of N5000 to improve their means of livelihood and probably take them out of poverty in due time. It is being implemented in 11 LGAs across the state namely: Anambra East, Anambra West, Awka North, Awka South, Ayamelum, Dunukofia, Ihiala, Nnewi North, Ogbaru, Onitsha North, Orumba South.

LIVELIHOOD COMPONENT

This programme enables households that have active and productive members aged 18 to 65 years who can engage in Livelihood activities have access to a one off grant of N150,000.

STATE OPERATIONS COORDINATING UNIT

Anambra State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU) was established following an MOU signed by the State and Federal government in May 2016. SOCU coordinates all activities of the National Social Safety Nets Program (NASSP) by the Federal Government in the State and works under the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO).