The Anambra State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Budget and Development Partner, Mark Okoye, has said the state has 433, 166 individuals and 99, 463 households on its list of poverty-stricken residents.

Delivering a keynote address yesterday at a stakeholders’ forum to share the state’s Social Register (SSR) data with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Awka, Okoye also said 8, 313 Poor and Vulnerable Households (PVHHs) in the state had been receiving the N5,000 monthly Conditional Cash (CCT) transfer from the Federal Government to help alleviate poverty.

The event was organised by the Anambra State Operations Coordinating Unit in collaboration with the ministry.

The Commissioner said 25,070 PVHHs had also been enrolled to benefit from the CCT programme in the future.

He said the SSR data was generated through Community Based Targeting Process (CBT), with communities expected to identify the poorest and most vulnerable among them using predetermined poverty criteria peculiar to their areas.

Okoye said: “The Anambra State Operations Coordinating Unit commenced operations in January 2017 with 30 percent pilot local government areas. They are Anambra West, Awka North, Dunukofia, Ihiala and Orumba South. They were selected with guidance from the state poverty mapping assessment.”

According to him, the state is working on scaling up operations in the remaining 70 percent second phase in 15 councils.

Okoye, who commended Governor Willie Obiano for ensuring that the programme continues to run in the state, urged all stakeholders to understand the merits of the SSR database and increase its usage to support all MDAs’ interventions.

In his address, the Coordinator, State Operations Coordinator Unit (SOCU), Bede Okoli, explained that the body’s primary role is to build a social register for PVHHs as well as coordinate the social safety net programmes in the state. (The Guardian)

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