At least 350,000 individuals across Benue State have benefitted from the state Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (BN-CARES) programme.

The disclosure was made on Thursday by James Ayoosu, the Lead Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of BN-CARES, during a visit by the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) North Central of the National Economic Council (NEC) to the Benue State Budget and Economic Planning Commission in Makurdi.

Ayoosu noted that the programme has impacted 88,483 households, translating to about 350,000 individuals, across four key result areas.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BOI), has facilitated recovery and currently strengthening the capacity of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) through various interventions under the programme.

Ayoosu also noted that food security and safe food delivery initiatives are being implemented by the Fadama Unit under the state Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, adding that social safety nets and basic service delivery are being expanded to strengthen existing support systems in the state.

Earlier, the Head of the NEC’s Implementation Monitoring Committee for North Central and Director General of the Benue State Budget and Planning Commission, Prof. Jerome Adohoor, emphasised the importance of the monitoring exercise.

Adohoor stated that such field assessments form a critical foundation for national economic planning as he stressed that IMC was currently conducting a two-day field monitoring visit in the state occasioned by the NEC’s decision to gather data in seven thematic areas geared towards the general wellbeing of all Nigerians.