Federal Implementation Arrangement and Institutional Relations

The Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme is implemented in all the States of the Federation plus FCT.  At the Federal level, the Programme would be implemented using a three-tier institutional structure as follows:

• Federal CARES Steering Committee (FCSC)
• Federal CARES Technical Committee (FCTC)
• Federal CARES Support Unit (FCSU).

The Programme will utilize the existing platforms of the identified three (3) Results Areas at the Federal and State levels.  The Federal CARES Support Unit shall be supervised by Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (FMFBNP) without creating any add-on project implementation structure.   Responsibility for day-to-day implementation support function shall be delegated to the FCSU.  In this regard FMFBNP will empower the FCSU to have the operational autonomy and flexibility which it requires to effectively carry out this implementation support function.

The Federal CARES Steering Committee (FCSC) will provide overall policy direction to the Programme. The Steering Committee at the federal level will comprise key decision-makers from relevant MDAs. The FCSC will be chaired by the Federal Minister of State for Finance, Budget, and National Planning, and include minister  of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Federal Minister of Women Affairs; Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment; Federal Ministry of Environment; Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development; Federal Ministry of Education; Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Permanent Secretaries for Budget and National Planning, FMF, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the representative of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF),  as further detailed in the Program Implementation Manual. Among key role of the FCSC will be to:

• provide overall policy guidance for Programme implementation,
• liaise with the National Assembly for adequate allocation of resources,
• review project performance annually and provide feedback to government at both federal and State levels, and
• promote public enlightenment in support of the Programme.

The Federal CARES Technical Committee (FCTC) will be responsible for Programme oversight, overall technical guidance, strategic direction, review and approval of the Annual Work Programme and budget of the FCSU. As a subcommittee of the FCSC, the FCTC will be responsible for:

• providing technical oversight and guidance for Programme implementation;
• reviewing and approving annual work Programme and budget for the FCSU;
• reviewing Programme performance, accounting and audit reports, and enforcing implementation of decisions;
• conducting performance review of key FCSU staff;
• approving amendments to the PIM and implementation plan. The FCTC will be chaired by the director (Economic Growth) of the supervising ministry and will comprise directorate level representation from the participating MDAs and the NGF.

The Chairman of the Technical Committee serves as the secretary of the FCSC and the FCSU serve as the secretariat.

The Federal CARES Support Unit (FCSU) will be responsible for Programme management, day-to-day Programme support at the federal level, supporting the States (in conjunction with other Delivery Platforms) on technical and capacity issues, financial management, M&E, and peer learning. In this capacity, the FCSU will be responsible for ensuring that World Bank guidelines and procedures are followed on issues of procurement, disbursement, audit, overall financial management and ensure that the E&S guidelines are followed across the Programme implementation delivery units. The major subcomponents of the responsibilities of the FCSU are as follows:

1. Engagement and supervision of IVAs. The FCSU will finance the engagement of credible verification agent(s) to undertake verification of the achievement of DLIs across the results areas, in all participating States and at agreed assessment periods. International Economic Relations Department (IERD) (the Borrower) will engage the private sector IVA with support from the FCSU using agreed procurement process. The FCSU will contract, supervise and manage the IVAs, in line with the dictates of the GOM. The results of the verification exercise as submitted by the IVAs and validated by the FCSU and the supervisory body will serve as a basis of periodic disbursements to the State’s consolidated fund account, after the World Bank Task Team has provided necessary concurrence.
2. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). This subcomponent will support an overall M&E framework for the N- CARES PforR including oversight for the activities of the IVAs in all the participating States and across all results areas. A participatory M&E scheme will be developed with quantitative and qualitative data collection at the State level to measure performance. A management information system (MIS) will be established in partnership with State governments. Periodic Programme performance reviews will be coordinated by the FCSU with the active participation of the State entities implementing the results areas.

• Technical support and capacity building. The FCSU will be funded to assist State-level implementing agencies in core Programme delivery functions such as procurement, financial management, M&E, MIS, Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and on other operational matters. The support will also include institutional strengthening and skills development (capacity building) for key actors implementing the interventions at the State and federal level.

1. Financial management. The IPF will also fund the management of proceed accounts and financial processes of the NG-CARES PforR. A Financial Management Department of the FCSU will be resourced to manage and provide periodic accounts of the financial disbursement to States based on periodic achievement of DLIs, as assessed by the IVAs and approved by the FCSU management and with concurrence of the World Bank.

The specific roles and responsibilities of the FCSU include the following:

• Supervising and managing the private sector IVAs for the verification of DLIs and the authorization and disbursement of the funds to State Treasuries. IERD will be responsible for engagement of the IVA with support of the FCSU,
• Collating overall progress of implementation according to the Results Framework including the PDO and intermediate indicators,
• Providing technical support in collaboration with the Federal Delivery Platforms to assist the State CARES delivery platforms (CSDA, SCTU, PWF, Fadama, MSE, and so on) at the State level to build the capacity of platforms and improve delivery efficiency,
• Organizing peer learning and experience sharing among State teams—anchored by the NGF Secretariat,
• Organizing quarterly implementation progress review meetings,
• Preparing quarterly progress reports for onward submission to the FCSC and the World Bank,
• Serving as secretariat for the Federal CARES Technical Committee (FCTC) and the Federal Cares Steering Committee (FCSC)Managing and ensuring disbursement of funds for the Federal level activities and to States implementing agencies,
• Preparing work Programme and budget for the Federal component of the Programme,
• Producing quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports on the performance and financial standing of the project,
• Managing the project M&E and information system, including a database of service providers.

The FCSU in providing technical support to the States shall work in collaboration with the following Institutions:

1. Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADMSD) through NCTO on Results Area 1,
2. Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development through the National Fadama Coordination Office (NFCO) on Results Area 2,
3. Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment through BOI – on Results Area 3,
4. Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat which will anchor peer learning and experience sharing.

National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO)/National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO)

NASSCO leads in the development of the National Social Register (NSR).  The State Delivery Platform shall use the State Social Register (SSR), URB in the North Eastern States and State Register of IDPs and other register of beneficiaries available at the State level for selecting beneficiaries as may be agreed with the World Bank.  The NASSCO shall provide technical support to the States platforms to ensure that the SSR meets national standards. NASSCO is currently funded through a World bank assisted Programme – NASSP and so will not be funded from the NG CARES IPF resources in performing its role on State Social Registry.

National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO)

The NCTO shall provide technical support to the States on Results Area 1, specifically DLI 1 which is Social Transfer and DLI 1.3, livelihood support grants.  NCTO shall guide the States on the use of the mined data of potential beneficiaries from the SSR, URB in the North Eastern States or SRB and the actual implementation of social transfer and grants to beneficiaries. NCTO is currently funded through a World bank assisted Programme – NASSP and so will not be funded from the NG CARES IPF resources in performing its role on supporting State Cash Transfer Units.

National Fadama Coordination Office (NFCO)

The National Fadama Coordination Office (NFCO) shall provide technical support to the States and FCT implementing Result Area 2 which is specifically focused on increasing food security and safe functioning of food supply chains for poor households. The NFCO shall liaise closely with the FCSU in the discharge of their responsibilities to the States and the FCT. The NFCO will deliver on its role through:

• Quarterly technical assistance mission based on request and especially prior to the visit of the IVA thereby assuring adequate preparation for disbursement;
• Participate in the Monitoring and Evaluation activities/supervision missions as many be organized by FCSU;
• Any other activity that would regularly update the PCU and FMARD on progress of Result Area 2 across the States for the effective participation/contribution of FMARD in the FCTC and FCSC.

The BOI-GEEP Platform

As part of the Federal CARES Support Unit, the Bank of Industry (BOI) will provide technical support and guidance for Programme implementation of Result Area III (RA3) for all States.

Interface with the FCSU will be done through the BOI Delivery Lead, who will be supported by 1 Project Assistant. Within BOI, there will be two main branches established to support project implementation at the Federal and State levels. A description of the overarching responsibilities of the Federal Team is detailed below:

Federal

The BOI-GEEP platform will be responsible for delivering centralized support to ensure that all participating States have the same standardized tools for project execution and delivery. Capacity building for the States shall be provided by the BOI-GEEP Federal Team under the IPF funding window.

BOI-GEEP Responsibilities to the Federal CARES Support Unit

Some of the specific responsibilities for BOI will include:

1. Leverage its experience and expertise in the MSME development space to offer program guidance and technical support for RA3.
2. Assist the FCSU with programme-wide technology advisory and centralized systems and tools for data verification, programmes monitoring and reporting across Results Areas.
3. Complement the FSCU’s effort to provide training and capacity building on the key knowledge areas required to meet the RA3 implementation objectives.
4. Deliver on any other programme mandate from the FCSU for which BOI is best suited to undertake.

Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF)

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) shall be responsible for the peer learning and experience sharing component of the NG-CARES Project with its proposed activities funded by the IPF. This support will ensure documentation of best practices across specific Result Areas to enable replication across other states. Knowledge Management will be at the centre of the support services provided by the NGF to ensure that relevant data and knowledge materials developed are properly utilized to support peer learning and advocacy. Activities will mainly include:

1.  Development of Knowledge Materials like guidelines, knowledge notes, tools, templates, advisories, advocacy briefs from baseline/ State reform studies, and other materials from the FCSU. The material developed will be disseminated to and domesticated by the State & MDA leadership (e.g. Governor, Commissioner, Permanent Secretary, etc.) and activity officers will be the end-users of the content. There will be 1 reform study and 12 advocacy briefs in each year. The NGF will use the advocacy briefs for high level stakeholder engagement.
2. Facilitation of State Exchange Visits: This is to encourage on-the-job training and first-hand learning for & between State officials. Exchange visits will be to States that have recorded complete or remarkable advancement in implementing projects linked to the achievement of key DLIs across the 3 Result Areas.  The State Exchange visits will be carried out by 6 States for Year 1 and 18 States for Year 2 with no more than 2 officials per State. The State officials made up of the MDA leadership and the activity officers will be accompanied by a representative from the NGF team and an expert. Delivery Platforms in States are encouraged to indicate interest in participating in the exchange visits through their SCCU.
3. National Peer Learning Events to distil good practices and share lessons among all 36 States & FCT with the aim of fostering peer learning. There will be 1 National Peer Learning Event for 4 days in each Year attended by the leads of the Result Areas, SCCU Heads and SCSC Chairmen from the States & FCT. These events will facilitate cross-fertilization of ideas on how to address on-the-job challenges hindering Programme implementation.

The Peer Learning Specialist shall be recruited by the NGF and will be the main interface with the FCSU, collecting data and materials generated by the Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) unit of the FCSU for use by the NGF to drive peer learning and the distilling of good practices identified across the selected delivery platforms in the 36 States and FCT. The Peer Learning Specialist (Project Manager at the NGF) shall manage the activities as it relates to peer learning to support the effective delivery of the Programme objective; with an assistant and leveraging on backstop support from the other members of the NGF Secretariat and a pool of technical experts supporting peer learning interventions in the 3 Result Areas.

The NGF will be represented on the Federal CARES Support Unit, the Federal CARES Technical Committee and the Federal CARES Steering Committee.

Watch Case video

To realize its considerable potential and to fulfil Federal Government’s commitment to lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over a period of ten (10) years, Nigeria is determined to make tangible progress on multiple fronts, at both the Federal and sub-national levels.  A large proportion of the citizens are however poor and hence the need for the mobilization of community and government machineries to provide required infrastructure for Human Capital Development on a sustainable basis.