*Extends support to 77 additional communities
By JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON has approved the release of six hundred and ninety three million Naira (N693,000,000.00) to the Gombe State Agency for Community And Social Development ( CSDA) for the third batch of intervention under the GO-CARES Programme.
The General Manager of the CSDA, Malam Haruna Ahmed Imam disclosed this at the end of a training for community groups and project management committees and sub committee heads on micro projects implementation across seventy seven additional communities.
Mallam Haruna Imam further revealed that the release of the funds by Governor Inuwa Yahaya followed the successful implementation of projects executed by the CSDA under the GO-CARES Programme.
He therefore, commended the Governor for supporting the CSDA projects, saying Gombe State is performing greatly among the participating states.
The General Manager explained that the training is to enlighten benefitting communities on the concepts of project cycles, roles and responsibilities, sustainability and maintenance, community procurement, financial management and book keeping.
Addressing participants drawn from across the eleven Local Government Areas of the State, the General manager congratulated them on the inclusion of their various communities to benefit from the intervention which cut across health, education, nutrition and water.
He urged the committees to maintain standard and ensure that they monitor the execution of the project to completion and ensure sustainability.
The CSDA Manager of Basic Services Mr Labilwa Ismaila, that of Finance and Administration Alh Ibrahim Abubakar Gwani and Monitoring and Evaluation, Mallam Sani Adamu also spoke to the participants as regards their expectations of from their various Departments.
Responding, some of the participants, including the former Clerk to the Gombe state House of Assembly, Shehu Mohammed Atiku who is also the District Head of Gadawo, the Secretary of Jama,atu Nasril Islam and Village head of Daban Fulani and Mrs Josephine Malang from Yamgana Women Group in Shongom Local Government area appreciated the State Governor and the CSDA for the intervention, saying the project touches directly on the masses especially those at the grassroot.
They particularly appreciated Governor Inuwa Yahaya for using the programme to reach communities that lacked basic amenities, promising to ensure that the projects will be completed within the specified time and according to specification.
Prior to the training, CSDA had conducted Needs Assesment, Participatory Rural Appraisal, and Field Appraisal in the communities, while Community Project Launch will follow suit.
It would be recalled that the CSDA has just completed similar projects in about 35 communities spread across the State in the first and second phases of the GO-CARES Programme.