Social Investment: FG & Adamawa Govt. Trains 250 Field Officers On Effective Payment Processes

Social investment: FG & Adamawa govt.trains 250 field officers on effective payment processes.

From Umar Dankano, Yola.

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs in collaboration with the National Social Investment Programme Agency,N-SIPA, the National Cash Transfer Office,NCIO and Adamawa state government have trained 250 field officers on digitalization of the programme in the state.

Adamawa State Coordinator of the program, Mary Yuwadi disclosed the development in Yola while answering questions from journalists Thursday 
Stressing that the training with the theme; enhancing sensitization, advocacy and awareness creation for effective program delivery was aimed at exposing the field officers on the advanced method for payment to beneficiaries across the country.

“The main goal of the training with a theme, “enhancing sensitization and awareness creation for effective program delivery” was to foster effective communication between the facilitators and  stakeholders with a view to resolve some of the nagging challenges bedeviling the program such as trust issues and inherent gaps in digital payments”. Yuwadi declared 

Yuwadi, said that the intervention, which began in 2016, targets the poor and vulnerable in society especially women, youths, and men revealing that over 51,000 beneficiaries have already received payments under the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer Programme this year.

Yuwadi explained that each beneficiary is entitled to ₦75,000, paid in three (3)  tranches. “Some beneficiaries have seen ₦25,000 or ₦50,000, and they worry. But the payment is in phases. All eligible individuals will receive the full ₦75,000 in due time,” she assured.

While commending Governor Fintiri’s administration for support and corporation,she added that her organization is conducting other intervention programs like m-power, school feeding and DVD program among others.

Earlier in her remarks at the training, the state Grievance Redress Manager, Mary John explained that the programme has faced several challenges, notably lack of awareness among beneficiaries and issues surrounding digital payments.

“We are receiving several complaints, mostly due to confusion around the new digital payment system. Many beneficiaries are uneducated and unfamiliar with ATM card usage. This sensitization is meant to bridge that gap,” she said.

Zanguwa noted that while the programme previously relied on table payments, it has now transitioned to cashless transfers through debit cards, raising challenges that the facilitators are expected to help solve at the grassroots level.

Our Correspondent in Yola reports that the one day step down training focused on empowering field staff to better inform beneficiaries about the digitalized payment process and complaint redress mechanisms under the National Social Safety Nets Programme (NSSNP).