The Federal Government says it has spent about N1 billion on the National Conditional Cash Transfer Programme in Niger in three years.
Hajiya Hadiza Shiru, Head of the State Cash Transfer Unit in Niger, disclosed this during a training session on savings and group mobilisation in Minna on Friday.
The training was for facilitators and desk officers from six Local Government Areas of the state.
News Agency of Nigeria reports that the National Conditional Cash Transfer is one of the component of the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme towards tackling poverty and hunger.
The programme focuses on ensuring a more equitable distribution of resources to vulnerable population including children, youths and women with a monthly stipends of N5,000.
Shiru disclosed that no fewer than 18,888 vulnerable persons in 802 communities had benefited from the programme in the state.
She said that the training was for facilitators selected from each ward and one desk officer from the six LGAs.
“The facilitators are 71 in number; they are being train on how to form groups and keep records. They are expected to go back and teach the people how to form groups and cooperatives in order to enable them save the monthly stipend given to them,” she said.
Shiru said that the facilitators were selected from Chanchaga, Lapai, Paikoro, Edati, Mashegu and Kontagora, adding that the facilitators were expected to go back and step down what they had learnt to the beneficiaries.
Also,Kola Solomon, the National Training Officer of the Cash Transfer Programme, called on the facilitators to pay attention to the training to acquire knowledge that would enable them step down what they have learnt.
“Giving the beneficiaries money is not enough to pull them out of poverty, they also need to learn about behavioural changes by saving part of these monies.
“So, we have adopted a strategy to encourage them form groups and let them know the importance of saving; this is the only way to be able to lift them out of poverty,” he said.
One of the facilitators, Asm’u Kawu from Mashegu Local Government, said that the training had improved her capacity on how to play her role as facilitator effectively.
“We have been taught how to help the beneficiaries in our communities form groups and cooperatives to save their monies and how to resolve conflicts among them,” she said.
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