By Kenneth OBIEH
A five-day capacity building workshop has been organised for the Delta State COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic stimulus (D- CARES) for key stakeholders and technical staff of the World Bank assisted programme in the state.
The workshop was declared open by the Chairman of the D- CARES Steering Committee and Commissioner for Economic Planning, Dr. Barry Gbe in Asaba, the state capital.
The chairman disclosed that the workshop was aimed at preparing the key stakeholders and technical staff towards the commencement and effective implementation of the much anticipated D-CARES programme in the state and charged the participants to put in their best.
Dr. Gbe exclaimed the three structured results areas to achieve at the end of the two years operation to include increase social transfer, basic services and livelihood support to the poor and vulnerable households, increase food security and safe functioning of food supply chains for poor households and recovery and enhancing capabilities of medium and small enterprises in the state.
He also revealed that the D-CARES was a programme for results vehicle which implied that the state government would undertake the initial funding of it with the World Bank subsequently reimbursing the state after results had been achieved and verified.
Secretary of the Steering Committee and the D-CARES Coordinator, Lady Patience Ogbewe, sensitised participants about the knowledge of the instruments and techniques required for implementing PforR projects and to explain the key features of the CARES Programme, such as the result areas and Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLI), Costing, Verification Protocols and Framework for the implementation of the D-CARES Programme.
The Head of Service of Delta State, Mr. Reginald Bayoko, other members of the steering committee, members of the Co-ordinating unit and the various delivery platforms were present at the workshop.