The Kogi State Government has proposed a ₦8.55 billion social investment package designed to provide financial, livelihood and agricultural support to 281,750 residents across the state’s 21 Local Government Areas.

The Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning and Chairman of the Kogi State Commissioners’ Forum, Asiwaju Asiru Idris, disclosed the plan in Lokoja while presenting details of the proposed beneficiaries and estimated costs under various Disbursement-Linked Indicators.

The proposed interventions are expected to focus on vulnerable households, unemployed and low-income residents, farmers and communities requiring basic infrastructure and social services.

According to Idris, the package covers social cash transfers, livelihood support, climate-smart public works, community development, agricultural inputs and the expansion of the State Social Register.

Under the Social Cash Transfer Unit, one component is expected to provide support to 5,000 beneficiaries across the 21 LGAs at an estimated cost of ₦1.237 billion.

Another component under the Social Cash Transfer Unit will target 15,000 residents with livelihood support, with ₦2 billion earmarked for the intervention.

The Labour-Intensive Public Works component is projected to engage 3,400 beneficiaries in climate-smart public works across the state. The programme has an estimated cost of ₦1.088 billion and is expected to provide employment opportunities while supporting environmentally sustainable community projects.

The Community and Social Development Agency component is also expected to support basic services and infrastructure in communities across Kogi.

Under the proposal, 1,000 beneficiaries are expected to be reached in each community across the 21 LGAs, with the component estimated to cost ₦2.072 billion.

The plan also contains an agricultural intervention through the FADAMA component. About 7,350 people are projected to benefit from assistance involving agricultural inputs and assets, at an estimated cost of ₦1.854 billion.

The intervention is expected to strengthen agricultural productivity and provide additional economic opportunities for beneficiaries whose livelihoods depend on farming and related activities.

Another major component focuses on expanding the Kogi State Social Register, which is designed to improve the identification and targeting of vulnerable residents who may qualify for social protection programmes.

The State Operations Coordinating Unit is expected to extend the register to 250,000 beneficiaries across the state’s 21 LGAs, with an estimated cost of ₦300.55 million.

The government said the expansion of the register would provide a broader database for identifying vulnerable households and help improve the targeting and delivery of future social intervention programmes.

Idris said the proposed package was designed to strengthen social protection, improve livelihoods and create economic opportunities for vulnerable households and communities.

He added that the different interventions would also support employment, community development and agricultural activities while helping to improve the living conditions of residents across the state.

The proposal comes as the Kogi Government intensifies grassroots mobilisation and public engagement around its development agenda.

The Commissioners’ Forum meeting where the proposal was discussed also focused on strengthening grassroots engagement and promoting the development programmes of the state and the Federal Government ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Kogi Government is expected to implement the interventions through the various agencies and programme components responsible for social transfers, public works, community development, agriculture and social protection.

If implemented as proposed, the ₦8.55 billion package would represent a significant expansion of social intervention efforts across Kogi, with the government targeting hundreds of thousands of residents through a combination of direct support, employment opportunities, agricultural assistance and community-based development.

The government said the overall objective is to strengthen the social protection system, improve household livelihoods, support vulnerable people and stimulate economic activity across Kogi State.