By Emmanuel Abi Couson
The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), has released its 2023 Annual Report themed: Advancing Frontiers for Greater Impact.
In his annual message, the PIND’s Executive Director, Tunji Idowu, noted that despite the socioeconomic challenges, including rising inflation and foreign exchange rate fluctuations which affected purchasing power in the country, the Foundation continued to exceed expectations in delivering on its mission to facilitate peace and equitable economic growth in the Niger Delta.
“2023 saw us exceeding expectations and achieving several milestones as we consolidated our previous work and successes while exploring new opportunities,” he said.
“Together with our partners, [PIND] continued to find creative, people-centered ways to carry out our mission to facilitate peace and equitable economic growth in the Niger Delta.”
The Niger-Delta-centric PIND, which started in 2010 by giving out grants to other implementers, has since evolved into a go-to resource, convener, and implementer of development programs and projects for other donors in the region.
PIND has accomplished this through robust programs focused on community-driven, research-backed needs: prosperity and peace through economic growth and peacebuilding.
In 2023, PIND consolidated all the achievements from its previous and ongoing work in the Niger Delta while exploring new opportunities for improving livelihoods and ensuring lasting peace in a once conflict-ridden region.
Some of the Foundation’s most impactful initiatives and interventions for the year included;
Worked with about 100 service providers through its Market Systems Development project to
support over 49,000 farmers (46.35% females) with recorded cumulative investments by PIND-supported farmers and MSMEs recorded at over ₦ 10 billion.
Facilitating the implementation of the United States Agency for International Development-led Health Electrification and Telecommunication Alliance (HETA) project aimed at providing electricity to healthcare facilities in the Niger Delta. By the end of 2023, 12 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) across Bayelsa, Delta, and Ondo States had benefitted from this project.
“Through strategic collaborations with the government, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders, strengthening its existing peacebuilding structures – Prevent Committees, Prevent Councils, Peace Champions, the conflicts Early Warning-Early Response (EWER) system, and Peace Map – geared at promoting conflict prevention, management, and resolutions.
Established Peace Clubs in secondary schools and universities across the region to foster changed attitudes and behaviors and promote peace through education.
Launched a Business Start-up Challenge Fund for the second year through its Youth Employment Pathways project to further Supporters the transition into entrepreneurship of interested youth beneficiaries of its vocational and soft skills training programs. Sixty-six successful contestants received grants totaling ₦42 million to establish their businesses.
Partnering with the Fordham Foundation on The Bridges Project to support the implementation of the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) component of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) through awareness creation and capacity building for non-governmental and community-basedu organizations.
Continued to advocate for increased access to arable lands for smallholder farmers in Delta, Edo, and Ondo states by working with representatives of these state governments and their land review committees to undertake Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of reserved lands and delineating substantial amounts for agricultural purposes.
Also, in 2023, PIND undertook an impact evaluation of its workuu over the previous seven years to demonstrate the value of its interventions in the Niger Delta and learn lessons for improvement.
In 2024, one of PIND’s key activities PIND is launching the Niger Delta Regional Peacebuilding Strategy (NDRPS) document in partnership with the Ministry of Niger Delta Development. The NDRPS will apply a multistakeholderu approach to tackling conflicts in the Niger Delta, with all stakeholders focused on peacebuilding and conflict management and resolution in the Niger Delta, joining resources to ensure the effective prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts in the region.
