By Ishaq Zaki
Gusau – The Zamfara State Agency for Community and Social Development Projects, has disbursed over N413 million to 55 communities, youth and women groups in the state for various community development projects.
The community development projects are being supported by the World Bank.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Permanent Secretary of the Agency, Alhaji Garba Muhammad presented cheques to the benefiting communities in Gusau on Friday.
The presentation was done after the pre-implementation training for the members of projects implementation committees from the benefiting communities.
Muhammad said projects to be executed included hospitals, schools, water, electrification, afforestation, skills acquisition and empowerment among others.
“We are expected to complete all the proposed projects between now and April, 2020”, the permanent secretary said.
He cautioned members of the Community Project Management Committees (CPMCs) and Group Project Management Committees (GPMCs) to adhere to rules and regulations of the agency as well as World Bank’s guidelines while implementing the projects.
He thanked Gov. Bello Matawalle for supporting the activities of the agency, in changing the lives of the people of the state.
In his remark, the Operations Manager of the agency, Alhaji Sani Buhari, urged the implementation committees and groups to ensure honesty and fair play while implementing the projects.
Buhari said the agency has zero tolerance for corruption, mismanagement and embezzlement.
“We are going to ensure close monitoring to the benefiting communities and groups to ensure that quality projects are executed,” he said.
He urged the beneficiaries to pay attention to all the various lectures and presentations during the training.
Alhaji Umar Nakwada, the Information, Education, Communication and Training Officer of the Agency, said that the aim of the training conducted for the implementation committees and groups, was how to adhere to guidelines in implementing the projects in their communities.
Nakwada further said that 41 communities received funding for projects while 14 women and youths groups were funded to undertake skills acquisition and empowerment projects.
NAN reports that the participants of the training comprised members of the CPMCs and GPMCs from the benefiting communities spread across the 13 Local Government areas of the state.
(NAN)