Kwara begins monitoring of community revolving fund beneficiaries

The Kwara State Government has commenced post-disbursement monitoring and assessment of beneficiaries of its Community Revolving Fund across 10 communities in the state, with beneficiaries reporting expanded farmlands, increased farming activities and the employment of additional labour.

The exercise, conducted by the Kwara State Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes project, aims to assess the utilisation of the funds, evaluate the early impact of the intervention on beneficiaries’ livelihoods, identify challenges, and provide guidance to ensure the scheme’s sustainability.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Communication Officer, Kwara ACReSAL, Okanlawon Taiwo, a copy of which was made available to PUNCH Online in Ilorin on Tuesday.

The statement said the monitoring exercise covered Adewole, Warah, Afon, Oke-Ogun, Iponrin, Tsaragi, Shonga, Lafiagi, Lade and Patigi communities, drawn from the project’s various catchment areas. It added that the monitoring team engaged beneficiaries and community leaders, inspected farms and other livelihood activities supported with the funds, and assessed the level of utilisation of the resources disbursed.

“The monitoring exercise is designed to assess the utilisation of funds disbursed to beneficiaries, evaluate the early impact of the intervention on their livelihoods, identify challenges and provide necessary guidance to ensure the sustainability of the scheme. The team also reviewed the progress of the various groups, listened to beneficiaries’ experiences and identified areas where additional support, training or guidance may be required,” the statement partly read.

The CRF was recently disbursed as part of efforts to strengthen the economic resilience of vulnerable community members, particularly women, youths, farmers and organised Community Interest Groups. According to the statement, the first phase targeted 50 Community Interest Groups comprising about 1,000 beneficiaries, with provision for additional beneficiaries as the programme progresses.

“The funds are structured as a revolving facility, requiring beneficiaries to repay within the agreed period so that other members of the communities can subsequently benefit,” the statement added.

Some of the beneficiaries said access to the funds had enabled them to prepare more farmland, cultivate larger areas and increase their production activities during the current farming season.

A beneficiary, Kayode Musa of Agbenise Cooperative Society, Afon, said the support had enabled him to increase the scale of his farming activities beyond what was previously possible. Musa added that the intervention had also enabled him to engage in additional livestock farming, including poultry.

Another beneficiary, Isiaka Yakubu of Ounje Lawo Cooperative Farming, Afon, said the expansion of their farming activities had created opportunities to engage more workers. Isiaka Sulaiman of Ifesowapo Community, Gbago, said the scheme had also encouraged members of his group to work together and plan for the future.

“The intervention has given us hope and encouraged us to work together. We now understand that if we manage the fund properly and repay as required, other people in our community will also have the opportunity to benefit,” he said.

Similarly, a female farmer, Akinsola Princess of Ifesowapo Cooperative Farming, Oke-Ogun, said the current farming season had marked a significant difference for the cooperative. She said the support had enabled the group to expand its farmland, engage more labourers and look forward to a more productive harvest.

Akinsola also said the intervention had boosted economic activities in the community by creating employment opportunities through the expansion of farming operations. The beneficiaries called for continued monitoring, technical support and capacity building to help them maximise the benefits of the CRF and ensure proper management of the funds.

The monitoring team, meanwhile, reiterated the importance of prudent management of the funds, proper record-keeping and compliance with the agreed repayment arrangement.

“The revolving nature of the scheme is critical to its sustainability,” the statement quoted the monitoring team as saying, stressing that beneficiaries must comply with the agreed repayment terms to enable other members of their communities to benefit.

The project said the post-disbursement assessment would provide first-hand information on the experiences of beneficiaries and enable it to assess the impact of the intervention at the grassroots. It added that the exercise would help identify areas requiring further support while strengthening accountability and improving implementation of subsequent phases of the programme.

The Community Revolving Fund is one of the interventions under KWACReSAL aimed at improving livelihoods and strengthening the resilience of communities through access to financial resources and support for sustainable economic activities.