By Laraba Usman
Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has approved the execution of various projects in 200 communities across the state in the areas of Health, Education, Water, Nutrition, and Erosion Control.
Mal.Haruna Imam General Manager Gombe State Community and Social Development Agency disclosed this at the commencement of a comprehensive training workshop organised by the Agency to enhance the capacity of communities selected to benefit from the project.
He said the training would equip the prospective beneficiaries with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively carry out the project, ensuring its successful implementation and sustainability.
He said the project was part of’ NG-CARES COVID-19 programme, which was aimed at improving the welfare of the people.
He stated that the NG-CARES programme started with seven communities and expanded to 28 and subsequently 77 and now 200.
He attributed the development to the timely released of funds by the state government as well as the necessary support giving to the Agency.
Imam said the goal of the workshop was to empower community members with the tools and expertise needed to take ownership of the project and drive its success.
He emphasized the agency’s commitment to fostering community empowerment through collaborative projects.
Also Speaking, the Manager of Finance and Administration Malam Ibrahim Gwani said the participating communities sought support for the execution of various projects and were selected, and hence, there is a need for them to own the project and execute it judiciously.
He explained that the projects selected encompasses various basic amenities tailored towards the needs of the people and also commended the Executive Governor for focusing on the poorest of the poor in communities.
The training workshop was designed to cover a wide range of topics, including project management, resource mobilisation, community engagement, and sustainable development practices.
Experts in project and finance management, and community development, monitoring and evaluation and related fields facilitated the sessions, sharing best practices and tailored guidance to address the specific needs of the selected communities.
Our correspondent reports that, before the training, the Agency had conducted needs assessment in all the communities as directed by the State Governor, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya.
The Gombe State Agency for Community and Social Development (CSDA), is one of the platforms in the State for the implementation of the NG-CARES programme, domesticated as GO-CARES.