How $20 million support programme for youth, women will be expended – Sanwo-Olu

The Lagos State Government has launched a $20 million Coronavirus (COVID-19) Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (Lagos CARES) Programme to support livelihood for poor and vulnerable households and to expand food security services in the State.

The programme, which will be implemented for 24 months, is being funded through a $750 million facility secured from the World Bank by the Federal Government for the Nigeria-CARES project with other states benefitting from the stimulus programme.

According to information on the Lagos State Government website, the social intervention programme was launched by the Lagos State Governor at the State House, Alausa, on Wednesday, April 21, 2021.

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The programme is focused on offering a safety net to residents whose means of livelihood had been disrupted by the impacts of COVID-19 and also on building the resilience of the State.

Lagos CARES will directly support 20,843 households and indirectly support 125,058 individuals within the State.

The programme has 3 key result areas which includes increasing cash transfers and livelihood support to poor and vulnerable households; increasing food security and safe functioning of food supply chains for poor households; and facilitating the recovery of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSMEs), while strengthening institutional support for coordination and delivery.

Sanwo-Olu said the programme was designed to be inclusive and packaged to specifically impact women and the youth adding that its implementation cuts across relevant ministries, including Sustainable Development Goals and Investment (SDG&I), Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Finance, Wealth Creation, and Agriculture.

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He said: “Today marks another milestone in our effort to combat the negative impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on our households, livelihood, food security and businesses. The CARES project is an integral part of the national approach, adopted to alleviate the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic and enhance the wellbeing of our people.

The Lagos CARES Programme will be implemented between 2021 and 2023 and will provide economic relief and recovery support to identified vulnerable persons. During the 24 months, the programme will directly support vulnerable households and indirectly support 125,058 individuals. There will also be interventions in 69 markets, while a minimum of 2,512 MSMEs will be supported.”

Sanwo-Olu set up the State’s CARES Steering Committee (SCSC), co-headed by the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Sam Egube, and Special Adviser on Sustainable Development Goals and Investment, Mrs Solape Hammond, in order to effectively implement the programme.

What you should know

• The Lagos State Government, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which negatively impacted businesses and households, introduced several intervention programmes to help cushion its effect.
• Some of these programmes include the N5 billion post-Covid-19 economic recovery support for MSMEs, the N5 billion support fund for 2,000 low-cost private schools, the N1 billion support fund for businesses in the hospitality sector and so on.