GIZ, Action Against Hunger to support 1.4m vulnerable persons in Borno, Adamawa
GIZ, Action Against Hunger to support 1.4m vulnerable persons in Borno, Adamawa
The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), in partnership with Action Against Hunger (AAH), is set to support 1.4 million vulnerable persons in Borno and Adamawa through the expansion of the social register.
The initiative will also strengthen social protection systems to ensure better support and resilience for vulnerable communities in the two states.
Mr Andualem Fekadu, Deputy Country Director of Action Against Hunger Nigeria, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
Fekadu said the support would be done through the expansion of the social register and strengthened social protection systems.
He spoke on the sidelines of a lunch meeting on Improving Social Protection in Adamawa and Borno through the expansion of the social register.
He said the project would target about 1.4 million vulnerable persons across the two states, with a major focus on communities affected by protracted conflict and insecurity.
According to him, the intervention includes a cash support component and aligns with the Federal Government’s development objectives, particularly in building the resilience capacity of vulnerable populations.
“This project is designed to support and strengthen the most vulnerable members of communities in Borno and Adamawa States whose livelihoods have been severely affected by prolonged security challenges,” he said.
Fekadu noted that the project would be implemented in close coordination with the state governments.
He added that both GIZ and AAH would work hand in hand with relevant government institutions to ensure effective delivery.
On accountability and transparency, the deputy country director said one million euros had been allocated specifically for the expansion of the Social Protection and Outreach component of the project.
He explained that robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms had been put in place to ensure that resources reached the intended beneficiaries.
“Both GIZ and Action Against Hunger have strong monitoring and evaluation teams that will work closely with state governments and the beneficiaries.
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“We will also collaborate with state-level monitoring and evaluation departments from the beginning to the end of the project,” he said.
Responding to questions on plans to extend similar interventions to other states affected by insecurity, he acknowledged the widespread humanitarian challenges across the North-East, North-West and North-Central regions.
He, however, noted that funding constraints ensured limited expansions, adding that efforts were being made to engage more donors to scale up support to more states.
He highlighted AAH’s track record in strengthening social protection systems in states such as Jigawa and Kano, saying that Jigawa had become the first state to develop and implement a social protection policy.
According to him, Jigawa now allocates budgetary provisions for social protection, targeting vulnerable groups including pregnant and lactating women, malnourished children and persons with disabilities.
“This is not our first engagement in the region.
“We have worked in Jigawa, Kano, Borno and Yobe, and we will continue to collaborate with donors and government partners to expand support to other states,” he said.
