Anambra State Community and Social Development Agency, ANCSDA, World Bank-Assisted kicked off a two-day training of the second batch of Community Project Management Committee, CPMC, from the first five core poor council areas for their Community Development projects as approved by the World Bank.

The trainees drawn from the five selected communities namely Ugbenu in Awka North, Ndikelionwu, Nanka, Omogho all in Orumba North as well as Umumbo in Ayamelum Local Government Areas were in attendance to equip themselves with the requisite knowledge and skills needed for the implementation of Community and Social Development Projects, CSDP.

CSDP is a community driven development project that focuses on building and rebuilding social and natural resource infrastructural services at the community level through empowering the communities with grants to develop, implement and monitor the projects.

Declaring the training open, the General Manager, Anambra State Community and Social Development Agency, Mr. Chudi Muojekwu who revealed that the project seeks to identify poor communities in the state, while the training aims at preparing them before disbursement of cash from World Bank to achieve fruitful results and expressed delight with the active responses of target audience.

Mr. Muojekwu urged them to utilize the opportunity given to them by Governor Willie Obiano whom he described as the brain behind the birth of the intervention programme from the World Bank as previous administrations could not attract it.

Delivery a keynote address titled “Community Development Plans CDPs”, the Operations Manager, CSDA, Mrs. Uche Nwaizugbo explained that formulation of CDP is the sole responsibility of Community Project Management Committee members and listed key tasks facing them to include letter of expression of interest, Community map, and evidence of free donation of land for the project site among others.

In her lecture titled “Gender and Vulnerable Issues Mainstreaming in CSDP” the project officer, Gender and Vulnerable Groups, Miss. Chinyere Onalu summarized the topic as social inclusiveness of Gender and Vulnerable Groups into economic and social development.

Taking participants on Financial Management, the Manager Finance and Administration CSDA, Mr. Francis Madubuonu acknowledge that financial reports assist in managing and monitoring the project activities and as such CPMC is expected to present a financial report to the community detailing the amount of funds received, expenditure incurred, and balance of funds as well as supporting documents.

Some participants including Pastor Cosmas Okafor from Ugbenu and Dr. Ngozi Kanu from Ndikelionwu appreciated the state government and World Bank for the community driven development project which is rooted in community needs and assured to follow the laid down principles governing the project in order to achieve a brighter future for their communities.