The Kwara State Government on Sunday presented sums totaling N165million to 41 communities to flag off an N850 million Community Development Programme.

Speaking at the project launch and cheque presentation at the Banquet Hall, Ilorin, the state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, said the counterpart-funded scheme was adopted to promote development at the grassroots level.

Represented at the ceremony by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Babatunde Yusuf, the governor said the programme would enable all the 193 wards in the state have improved access to infrastructural services that will bring about development.

Under the scheme, ward-based community associations receive N5 million each to implement water, education, health, energy and other micro-projects on provision of a ten per cent contribution.

He recalled that the government injected N50 million into community development projects in 2015 with additional budgetary provision of N200 million in 2016 to consolidate government commitment to the projects.

“The presence of counterpart fund of N200 million as contained in the 2016 Appropriation allowed for further draw-down of over N670 million to scale up the implementation of projects across the state”, Mr. Ahmed stated.

He urged the communities to make judicious use of the funds and ensure proper retirement of receipts so as to facilitate the release of the second and third tranches.

Mr. Ahmed commended the State Community and Social Development Agency (KWCSDA) and the World Bank for their efforts at ensuring rural development in the state.

Earlier at the event, the Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Wasiu Odewale, said 318 community micro projects had been implemented and were in use in different rural communities across the 16 LGAs in the state under the scheme.