Governor Bello Matawalle has inaugurated Zamfara COVID-19 Action Recovery and Stimulus Programme (CARES) on Thursday.
In a statement by the Governor’s Director General Press Affairs, Malam Yusuf Idris said, CARES is an initiative of the Nigerian Governors Forum to be executed in the 36 states of the federation and FCT and is to be supported by the World Bank.
Idris said the Zamfara version of the programme would be tagged “Matawalle Vision 2023”.
Idris further explained that the initiative would provide support in areas like social transfer, livelihood grants, provision of basic structures, support to medium and small scale enterprises and ensuring food security.
Idris said the Governor who acknowledged the impacts of armed bandit activities on food security and overall economic development of the state expressed hope that, programme would in collaboration with the office of the First Lady’s addresses the issue of malnutrition among vulnerable children in the State and also serve as panacea to solving multiplicity of social and economic problems facing the people of the state.
He further acknowledged that despite the effects of insecurity and COVID-19 pandemic on the people of the state, his administration has made huge investment in the areas of education, healthcare delivery, roads infrastructure, above all construction of a cargo airport.
Accordingly, the program which will be delivered through the three platforms of CSDA, FADAMA, the Ministry of Commerce and State’s CARES Coordinating Unit with government interacting through members of the Steering Committee will ensure adequate supervision of the Delivery Platforms to deliver the services that are required.
Idris further explained that, the services that CARES will deliver to the common man of Zamfara State are:
- Livelihood Grants- N 3.4 Billion
- Food Security – N 3.4 Billion and
- Job Creation through MSEs – N 2 Billion
The steering committee of Matawalle Vision 2023 has State Commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning Alhaji Ibrahim Jibo Magayaki as Chairman, while members of the committee comprises Ibrahim Abdullahi, Spirow State Commissioner Ministry of Agriculture Rabiu Garba, State Commissioner Ministry of Commerce and Sufyanu Bashir Yuguda, State Commissioner Ministry of Finance.
Other members of the committee include Garba Altine Dauran, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Kabiru Mohammed Gayari, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, lbrahim Dan Nabirgi, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Agriculture,
Hamisu Shayau, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Commerce CSDA Chairman and Mukhtar Ibrahim of Ministry of Budget to serve as Secretary.