“The findings from PIND’s study revealed some systemic constraints in the cocoa value chain. These include low productivity of farms arising from poor agricultural practices; predominance of older and ageing trees with low yields; absence of high-yielding seed varieties; inferior quality beans arising from poor post-harvest practices – leading to discount prices of Nigerian cocoa in the global market; and a lack of coordination among actors and functions within the value chain.”
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Through a similar community-centred energy-in-a-box solution, PIND also collaborated with Vectis Business Options limited to retrofit the solar refrigeration units at Sangana and Fishtown communities, and also provide businesses services by selling the service to fisherfolks and households within these communities; operate and maintain the solar refrigeration units

By this intervention, over 250 fisherfolks within Sangana and Fishtown communities have had improved access to energy for refrigeration.
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To support the wide uptake of the technology solutions by identifying, engaging and training the workforce for operating and maintaining the Energy Cabin and Solar refrigerating units as a hub, as well as community based entrepreneurs and stewards that will market the solar renewable solutions in Ogheye, Sangana and Fishtown communities.

PIND through partnership with Vectis Business Options limited deployed a 20kWp Solar PV energy cabin in Ogheye, community, Delta State, as a pilot that demonstrates the commercial viability of the Energy cabin as an A2E solution for coastal communities in the Niger Delta.

Through this collaboration, several MSME’s and households in Ogheye community have secured access to electricity, including within sectors with a wide participation of women and youth, as well as wide reaching livelihood areas such as fish preservation, mobile phone charging, and retail.
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‘’My name is Pa Malo Felix, the Olaja of Ogheye community. This solar that came to this Ogheye community, we love it, and we are enjoying it. Before the solar came, we had generators in this community, but due to the condition of fuel, we haven’t been able to power the generator. In that case, as the solar came, we had to accept the solar, and it is okay with us. We used to have problems of diesel, but with the solar, we don’t need the diesel anymore. Solar is with us and what we do is to recharge the solar. And after you have recharged your solar, everything will be okay with you. We love the solar here a lot, and we would want the solar to stay. So, I thank the people that have brought this solar to the community.”
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‘’My name is Steven Idikunle. I am the owner of Philipcom Hotel. About a few months ago, we acquired solar electricity that we are using. And the solar light is helping a lot. Before now, we were using a generator, and we burnt a lot of fuel as a result of that. Normally, we did repair the generator, but for some time now, that has gone away. I used to use about two (2) refrigerators before, but now, I use about three (3) now. And all my systems are working very fine now.”
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‘’My name is Kehinde Emmanuel Tayo, CEO of Vectis Business Option, a company built on the promises of renewable energy to bring power to the people of this great country. Our quest to solve energy challenges has brought us into the mini-grid-energy space to provide power for the people in the underserved and unserved communities of rural communities in Nigeria. Our partnership with PIND has brought about this relationship where we are able to reach out to more communities in the coastal region to provide them energy access to power. We are very grateful to PIND for what they have done, making our lives easy, making things easy in terms of access to communities, and then, supporting in reaching out to these communities in the Niger Delta.’’
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“Now that we have solar power, the amount of noise pollution by generators is reduced. Situations where you want to sleep but can’t because of the noise from your neighbors’ generator, that doesn’t happen anymore… it has been a long time we have seen something like this …we don’t see such often here so we are happy and grateful.”
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As the founder of the Girls to Women Research and Development Centre, I have benefited from PIND’s capacity-building interventions targeted at civil society organizations in the Niger Delta. I participated in several PIND training, first as a beneficiary and later as a consultant on gender issues. PIND helps strengthen CSOs and improves their capacity and visibility to attract funding. With the support and mentoring I received from PIND, my organization could access grants from the government, the private sector, donors, and partners. PIND was helpful in terms of funding and providing capacity enhancement at various levels.

The training also helped me navigate my current role as the Gender Advisor to the Ondo State government. I can implement my activities because I have clear-cut ideas, skills, capacity, etc., to do my work well. PIND has been part of my success story, getting me to where I am now. All the skills I have learned have made it easy for me to work well within the government. I advise anyone looking to work within government first to garner CSO experience and knowledge of the development sector and programming
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Before the mini-grid was installed in our community, we had never had access to electricity. If we needed to charge our phones, we would have to go to neighboring communities or seek help from neighbors who could afford generators. Now, every home has a daily supply of electricity. We have power throughout the day, and then the mini grid goes off at about 3 am to enable the batteries to fully recharge before it is turned on again at 6 am.

Those charging their phones in other communities can now do so in their homes. People no longer need to rely solely on their generators for electricity supply in their homes and businesses. I thank PIND for this opportunity and Mr. Francis Owieadolor, CEO, of Oghosa Limited, for accepting to come to our community. Most of the riverine areas around us need access to electricity, which has always been challenging. This opportunity has opened up Adagbarasa Community, and neighboring communities would like to benefit from the project
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Before meeting PIND, I had been running a renewable energy company for more than seven years, where we install solar panels and sell other renewable energy products. I learned about PIND in 2022 through the Renewable Energy Service Providers Association of Nigeria (RESPAN). Then I attended one of PIND’s Access to Energy model sharing workshops in Port Harcourt. Although I had heard about mini-grids before the workshop, I had been skeptical about exploring them as a business opportunity as I was worried about the security risks.

PIND promised to facilitate and bridge the gap of community engagement with the people. I also networked and had one-on-one conversations with other renewable energy investors who had worked with PIND on similar projects. In June, PIND took me on an assessment tour of Adagbarasa, Warri North LGA of Delta state, to learn the community’s energy needs and viability as a mini-grid installation location. It was the first time I had gone to a community by water. With PIND facilitating the engagement, I had no issues interfacing with the people. I was particularly encouraged by their excitement towards the project. Like most coastal communities, they were off the national grid, so they saw the opportunity to access a low-cost and sustainable source of electricity. It was then I saw the actual value and impact of the mini grid.

After the assessment, I reached out to another organization that had promised to support me with some of the materials for the grid. However, they declined to help because they deemed the community too small, and the project less economically viable than initially hoped. I was discouraged because it was new terrain for me business-wise, and these people who had been in the sector didn’t think it was worth it. However, after some deliberation and considering the impact on the lives of the people, I decided to continue on my own and use the experience as a learning process. I reached out to PIND once more, expressed my concerns, and told them the areas I would need support. I also spoke about the issue of access to the community seeing that you could only reach it by water, and we would need to move heavy equipment there to install the cabin.

We also spoke about funding and management of the grid after installation and my lack of experience in the sector. PIND stepped in, and their support exceeded my expectations. Based on my proposal, PIND awarded me a grant that covered the materials needed to install the grid. Since meeting PIND, my organization’s confidence level, skills, and experience have improved. Going into the mini-grid sector has improved our capacity and given us access to an industry we would have never believed we could enter. Another value to the organization is that we have improved our business structure to accommodate this new expansion in the energy sector. Already, we have seen even more opportunities to explore.
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I used to operate a POS business at RIVTAF, Golf Estate, Port Harcourt, and I wanted to upgrade and own a fully-stocked supermarket. I approached PIND and took part in the Business Linkage Program. I connected with business service providers (BSPs) who advised me on how to set up a supermarket, including staff recruitment. Through the BSPs, I met vendors who supplied me with various items. I also met a BSP, who provided all the CCTV purchase/installations and the systems hardware installation.

They delivered and installed the accounting software for the supermarket sales/inventory management activity. They helped manage all these processes, which resulted in an increased client base and business stability. I am now comfortably running my business with minimal support. We serve the Golf Estate residents in Port Harcourt and its environs and offer home delivery service. My income has increased by over 65% and continues to grow.

In 2022, I saw a significant improvement in my business structure. Before, I had to be present to monitor operations in the business, or else things would fail to run smoothly. PIND helped me set up structures and employ the right staff to handle the daily running of the farm. I can now travel for training and workshops and to network with other service providers.

The standard of our training has improved, which is why more organizations and farmers want to work with us and even pay for our services. The market system approach developed by PIND has been the solution to all our problems. It benefits farmers and service providers because a reporting system makes us accountable to each other.

Before, smallholder poultry farmers in my community ran their businesses without proper structure and record keeping making it difficult for them to access finance. After training them, they have seen significant improvements, including increased profits. I want to thank PIND for reaching out to us at the grassroots level and giving us tools to improve our business, livelihood, and community.

After years as a primary school teacher, I resigned and became a full-home farmer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I met with Ambassador Godwin Akandu from Rivers State, a service provider, who introduced me to PIND, and I received training on cultivating oil palm. I then started planning oil palm and other plants like okra, cassava, and groundnut. However, I needed more capital to set up a palm oil mill. PIND brought business consultants who trained us to manage our businesses and funds. I and some others in my community became beneficiaries of a CBN loan. We set up a palm oil mill in Ahoda West as a group, all thanks to PIND.

I am well-known in my community for farming. I am also a nursery operator. When people buy seeds from me, they contract me to help set up their farms. PIND’s training equipped me with the skills to become a farm manager and get paid for it. I have been doing so well that I manage farms in Rivers and Bayelsa States. PIND also trained me in peacebuilding and conflict management. When I consult in a community, I find out what structures are in place to manage conflicts to ensure that the farms I work on are safe and free from there. I am also very passionate about women’s empowerment and inclusion. On my farms, I endeavor to employ women and pay them a daily wage.

Before I met PIND, one of the significant challenges I faced was germinating the oil palm seeds. I usually get an output of 30% instead of 80% of the hybrid seeds I planted. In 2019, I met with PIND and learned how to get improved seedlings. PIND helped me get technicians who assisted with the heating process and connected me to customers. I have a better relationship with nursery operators across different states, including Akwa Ibom and Abia, and have increased my production and the number of seeds I sell. Thanks to PIND, I buy seeds from Presco, an agro-industrial company, at a discount. I have also provided jobs for more people in my community.

PIND put me on the map alongside other prominent players in the sector. PIND’s workshops have provided excellent resources for moving the oil palm sector forward. I appreciate PIND for all they do for farmers and nursery operators in the oil palm sector. Unlike my father, an agronomist, I am an engineer, so I had much to learn about the business I inherited from him. However, my partnership with PIND has helped make this transition smoother