An over 50 year old land boundary dispute between two neighboring communities, Igbidi and Okpolo-Enweh in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State resurged into fresh conflict in June 2017. Both communities are predominantly food crop and fish farmers, with people coming from other towns to buy proceeds from the women. The conflict brought everything to a halt, along with loss of lives and living on the edge of anxiety.
Mrs Esonde Bakare is the owner of IceQueen Food and Beverages in Warri, Delta State, a major toilet tissue distributor for Belling Pegs and for other products. She calls herself a ‘Mompreneur’ as she has to combine her business with being a wife and mother of three children. Previously, she was just a small time retailer.
Aladinma Umukabia Ogodo Multi-purpose cooperative society is an association of over 200 women cassava farmers operating in Imo State. These women come together to help each other pursue economic prosperity for a simple reason: to take better care of their children. Veronica Njoku is the Vice President of the Association.
Stanley Agbuebu has been a palm oil processor in Imo State for more than 20 years.
‘’I started from using the local mill’’ he recalls. ‘’We cook the palm fruits ten foot from the ground. From there we will call people that will carry it to the place that they are going to digest it. From digestion, we proceed to where we will process it and from there we will extract our oil. It is labor intensive, and the cost is too much’’.
When Youth Alive Foundation (YAF) relocated from Lagos to Akwa Ibom State, Uddy Okon, the Executive Director said it was like starting a new Niger Delta grown organization from the scratch. She had to recruit new staff who didn’t have enough skills to support projects. As she was weighing how to solve the problem, she learnt about the PIND Capacity Building for Local Empowerment (CAPABLE) institutional and technical training opportunity for regional non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like herself.
PIND and its partner, Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), conducted a labour market assessment for youth employment in Abia, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States, to map the community of stakeholders concerned with youth unemployment within Abia, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States, showing their key constraints and explaining national and subnational economic, demographic, and social trends impacting…
PIND, through gender mainstreaming in all its interventions, seeks to ensure equitable participation of men and women in social and economic development of the Niger Delta.
Informed governments can promote inclusive and equitable economic opportunities in the Niger Delta through their decisions, policy and approach.
Back in 2011, stakeholder consultations showed the weak capacity of Niger Delta-based organizations was a major concern as development within the region would be impossible without their engagement and assistance.
For decades, the Niger Delta has experienced significant conflict across the region that have had severe effects on livelihoods.