Ambassador, W. Stuart Symington

U.S. Mission to Nigeria has awarded 221,902 dollars grants in response to applications to the Ambassador’s Small Grants Programme, ASGP, for 27 projects in 14 states in Nigeria.

The Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr David Young made this known at the award ceremony on Friday in Abuja.

According to him, a total of 27 projects covering 14 Nigerian states will be undertaken by organisations that represented the 2018 ASGP.

“This year, approximately 222,000 U.S dollars will fund the construction and provision of classrooms, health clinics, community centres and boreholes. Some of this funding will also benefit orphans and vulnerable children, as well as key populations and communities living with or affected by HIV and AIDS, and through addressing economic, nutritional, and hygienic needs,” he said

He said that the initiatives would help improve access to education and health services for vulnerable children and communities at risk.

“Some of the projects include the rehabilitation and provision of equipment to primary schools, the construction and rehabilitation of local health clinics. Others are the construction of boreholes and recycling facilities to benefit communities across Nigeria,” he said.

The awards which were designed to assist communities through small-scale development projects is directed at improving basic living conditions at the grassroots level.

According to him, the U.S. Government contribution to these projects aims to support high-impact, quick-implementation activities and the U. S. was committed as a partner to ensure that Nigeria thrived economically and socially.

“The primary objective is to ‘help people help themselves’ and encouraging every project to include a strong element of community involvement in order to achieve success and sustainability,” he said.

“As a partner with you, the U. S. government wants Nigeria to thrive and because we realise we have mutual interest, together we are part of one world; we are global citizens today. And, what happens in one corner of our world affects the rest of and so the work that we do together makes a key difference and so we believe that investing here in Nigeria is an investment in our global community that affects us and helps us in U. S. as well”.

“Our direct assistance to improve basic economic and social conditions at the local community or village level promotes a conscious responsibility to lift up society,” he said.

According to him, the U. S. is proud to support these various projects in their early phases, we take a greater delight in seeing that communities can be self-reliant and sustain their activities independent of U. S. assistance.

“We remain confident that each community can maintain the momentum and establish an environment for their people to take part in their growth for many years to come,” he said.

Mr Rex Ajenifuja, who responded on behalf of the recipients, thanked the embassy for identifying them to undertake the projects.

Ajenifuja assured the embassy that the project would be well done and also be delivered at the expected time.

“We are grassroots, we so delighted to be identified with this scheme, we want to assure you that we will deliver and we want to assure you that the job will not only be done but will be done well,” he said.

The U.S. Ambassador Small Grant programme provides one time small grant to community development programme that improves the socioeconomic well being of the community.

It is also designed to support communities to help themselves.

(NAN)