By Uche Amunike
Anambra State Community and Social Development Agency (ANCSDA) has approved the sum of N75 million for implementation of approved micro projects by the vulnerable groups in their respective communities.
Information from the Communication Officer ANCSDA ,Mr Nnamdi Onuzulike, reveals that the Eight (8) benefitting vulnerable groups (VGs) and their communities are Udoka VG (Ezi-Anam), Ngozika VG (Umuikwu Anam), Chukwuemeka VG (Nawgu), Obioma VG (Urum), Onneh Amaka VG (Onneh), Ofuobi VG (Umuenwelum), Chidera VG (Ifite Anam) and Oganiru Widows Association (Umuzu). The Agency has started disbursing the 1st tranche of the project cost for immediate implementation of different micro projects (MPs) approved for their various groups by the Agency. The approved Group Development Plans (GDPs) contains micro projects for the different vulnerable groups such as Construction of feeder roads with culverts, Construction of skill acquisition centres, Construction of VIP toilet, Construction of boreholes, Construction of solar powered boreholes with overhead tank, Construction of open market stores, Construction of blocks of classrooms in secondary school and Equipping of Health Centre.
Project Launch activities have been carried out by the State Agency (SA) in six of the eight vulnerable groups mentioned above from August 27th to 28th this year during which Project Financing Agreements were signed between the SA and the communities with the 1st tranche (30% or 50% of the project funds depending on the technical nature of the micro project) were released by the Agency to the Vulnerable groups for project implementation. The General Manager, ANCSDA, Mr Chudi Mojekwu signed the Project Agreements on behalf of the State Agency while the Chairman of the Group Project Management Committee (GPMC) of each respective groups signed on-behalf of their vulnerable groups.
At the project launch events hosted in Ifite Anam community for Ngozika VG, Chidera VG and Udoka VG, all in Anambra West LGA, the Chairman ANCSDA, HRM Igwe Rowland Odegbo (Aborgu II Na Nteje) who was represented by a board member of the agency, Prince Chris Azor advised the vulnerable groups to ensure that the funds disbursed to them were judiciously utilized in implementing the micro projects and he also commended the state governor, HE, Chief Willie Mmaduaburochukwu Obiano for his numerous community development initiatives in the state aimed at empowering the poor communities and vulnerable groups, The GM ANCSDA, Mr Mojekwu commended the Traditional Rulers, Town Union leaders, members of the Group Project Management Committee (GPMC) and the entire community members present for the various roles they played during the screening of the vulnerable group members, registration of the groups with the LGA, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) to identify and prioritize the needs of the groups, and then, the election of the GPMC members that would oversee the implementation of the MPs. These efforts he said culminated in the approval of the sets of micro projects by the Agency and the subsequent release of the 1st tranche of funds by ANCSDA at the project launch events.He also commended the state governor, HE, Chief Willie Maduaburochukwu Obiano, for his giant strides in ensuring that CSDP-AF became effective in Anambra State.
Also speaking at the events, the Operations Manager, ANCSDA, Mrs Uche Nwaizugbo, urged the GPMC members to ensure the effective and efficient utilization of the released funds for the project implementation, and also charged the community members to ensure that the MPs are properly managed and sustained after completion.
In their vote of thanks, the various GPMC Chairmen commended the Anambra CSDA for their various developmental interventions in poor communities that are geared towards poverty reduction and thereby touching lives positively in the rural communities. They expressed their joy at the release of the project funds which according them will be judiciously utilized in the implementation of the approved projects in the communities for the vulnerable groups.
