Mr. Mark Okoye, the Anambra State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Budget and Development Partners said twenty nine thousand, two hundred and fourteen poor and vulnerable households from the State will receive cash transfer from Federal Government for six months.
He disclosed this during a Stakeholders Sensitization briefing on the proposed Anambra State Federal Government Covid-19 Rapid Response Register ( RRR) in Awka.
The Rapid Response Register is a shock response intervention initiated by the Federal Government in partnership with the World bank, to provide emergency assistance to urban and semi-urban dwellers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The register will equally be used to deliver emergency response to vulnerable populations in circumstances like natural disasters, epidermis, and economic downturns among others and the register will target and register households from one thousand, one hundred and eighty one urban wards across the thirty six states of Nigeria and Federal Capital Territory.
According to Mr. Okoye, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Dan Ezeanwu, Anambra state is currently partnering the Federal Government in various Social Intervention programmes, noting that the Rapid Response Register is one of the initiatives of the Federal government to lift one hundred million Nigerians out of poverty by 2025.
The Commissioner maintained that the register will be used to implement a Cash transfer programme to poor and vulnerable households in the State for an initial period of six months, and the selection is based on Scientific method of Satellite Remote Sensing Technology, Machine Learning Algorithm and Big Data Analysis, which provided the basis for ranking the wards according to identification using the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) link of Telecoms facility by dialing a unique code to access the application portal.
He pointed out that the identification exercise will be followed by enumeration and validation exercise and enumerators from Anambra state will meet applicants at their residence to take additional information including, means of identification such as National Identification Number and bank account details.
Engineer Bede Okoli, the Anambra state Coordinator, Social Safety Net Coordinating Office, said that COVID-19 has increased the poverty rate in Nigeria, hence the timelines of the scheme and urged beneficiaries in the State to utilize the opportunity to boost their economic well-being.
Anambra West, Ayamelum, Awka North, Dunukofia, Ekwusigo, Onitsha South, Oyi, Orumba North and Ogbaru Local Government Area have been selected for the scheme; the beneficiaries from Anambra state will start receiving SMS from twenty fourth to thirty first May, 2021.
