The Federal Government has expressed appreciation to the World Bank following its approval of an additional 500 million dollars for the second phase of the Nigerian Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus programme known as NG-CARES. The programme previously received 750 million dollars for its first phase, which ended earlier this year. Due to its success and the impact it made in supporting vulnerable Nigerians across the 36 states and the FCT, the Federal Government sought more support from the global lender.
Available records show that NG-CARES 1.0 directly reached more than 17 million Nigerians. It also helped communities build schools and health centres, revived small businesses and offered support to smallholder farmers. The first phase further attracted strong commitment from states and the FCT, with a combined investment of over 2.2 billion dollars toward programme implementation.
NG-CARES operates through a performance for result model known as P4R, where states first implement programme activities and are later reimbursed after independent verification agents confirm the results. National Coordinator of NG-CARES, Dr Abdulkarim Obaje, described the World Bank’s approval of the additional financing as a major step in expanding social protection efforts for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
He said, “This additional financing will spur governments at all levels to deepen and strengthen economic resilience among poor and vulnerable households, smallholder farmers and small businesses affected by economic shocks.”
Speaking on the sidelines of a fraud and corruption prevention workshop organised for NG-CARES personnel in Abuja, he explained that the new funds mean states and the FCT can begin full implementation through their delivery platforms and coordination units, with reimbursement expected after verifications by Independent Verification Agents.
Obaje thanked the World Bank for its continuous partnership and support for Nigeria’s pro-poor development and economic inclusion programmes. At the workshop, he reminded participants of the need for discipline, saying, “Because of the unique job we are doing to help vulnerable Nigerians, it would be scandalous for any of us to be associated with anything corrupt or fraudulent.”
Director of Economic Growth at the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Auwal Muhammad, described the training as timely. He said it reflects NG-CARES’s commitment to zero tolerance for corruption as the programme prepares for the additional financing phase. According to him, “As we prepare for NG-CARES additional financing, the expectations for transparency and accountability are even higher,” adding that the programme’s credibility depends on the integrity of its processes.
He said, “Fraud, corruption and misuse of programme funds undermine not only our collective work but also the trust of citizens who rely on NG-CARES for their survival and economic resilience.” He noted that training the teams to prevent, detect and report fraud is essential as the programme enters its next operational cycle.
