By Damilola Alamu
The National Coordinator of Community and Social Development Project (CSDP), Dr. Abdulkarim Obaje has disclosed that about N70billion has been expended on micro projects across the country.
He made the disclosure at the opening session of the 2019 second quarter review meeting of CSDP held at the Kwara Hotel, Ilorin, on Monday.
The three-day review meeting had participants from across the 30 participating states and the FCT.
Obaje further disclosed that the CSDP has so far drawn down about $314m from $415m representing about 76% of the funds
“Total funds expended since 2019 is about N70bn. These resources have been invested in building and rehabilitating social and natural resources infrastructure in eight key sector of rural economy in all benefiting communities across participating states,” he added.
The national coordinator stated that between 2009 and 2019, CSDP has supported no fewer than 4,500 communities and groups in 516 Local Governments to implement 13,370 micro projects.
According to him, as at June, 2019 and under the CSDP Additional Financing which commenced in 2016, the Federal Project Support Unit had disbursed N27.6bn to state agencies out of which Kwara State has drawn down N1.3bn.
He noted that the CSDP is an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria aimed at addressing the needs of the poorest of the poor living in rural communities with a view to uplifting them from poverty and lack.
Earlier, while declaring the programme opened, the Kwara State Deputy Governor, Mr. Kayode Alabi assured that the present administration in the state will continue to partner with both the Federal Government and the World Bank in ensuring that the poor communities in the state maximally benefit from the CSDP intervention.
He promised that the state would meet its contractual obligations especially the prompt payment of the required Government counterpart contributions to the project to benefit maximally from the project.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen, the General Manager, KWCSDA, Engr. (Mrs) Amamat Oluwatoyin Haruna explained that the agency is designed to sustainably increase access of the poor to basic social infrastructures with the aim of complementing the state government’s efforts at reducing poverty levels in the rural and peri urban areas in the state.
Haruna added that a total of 149 communities across the 16 Local Government Areas in the state have so far benefited from the CSDP since commencement of additional funding.
The GM, however, explained that the approved CDPs under the scheme are to be funded in the ratio of 90% by the agency and 10% by the communities while for Group Development Plans (GDP) the ratio is 95 percent by KWSCDA and 5 percent by the gender and vulnerable groups.
