This report details the achievements of PIND’s investment portfolios in the Niger Delta from October–December 2020 (Quarter 4 of 2020). It highlights achievements from the interventions by different program areas including relevant information on program management, lessons learned, and plans for the next quarter. The report demonstrates that the program interventions have been very successful in meeting most set targets and this has triggered change in the overall climate for broad-based economic growth in the Niger Delta despite the economic slowdowns driven primarily by the Covid–19 pandemic and conflict. Such success was made possible through resilience and creative and innovative measures undertaken by PIND functionaries.
PIND’s activities are designed to promote and sustain a culture of learning and adaptation to build a process by which evidence plays a greater role in determining policy direction and programs in economic development, peace building, advocacy, and capacity building of both government institutions and civil societies in the Niger Delta. PIND made significant progress in its approach and initiatives in this quarter.
PIND’s market development projects continue to demonstrate progress towards systemic change. For instance, during the quarter, 22,229 farmers and agri-preneurs were empowered to improve their productivity and income in a sustainable manner. Also, a cumulative of 52,401 farmers and small businesses (more than 39% of them being women) adopted innovative business models (improved access to inputs, climate-SMART technologies and best practices), recorded a combined net income of11.4billion Naira between January and December2020, and created 9,812new jobs within the same period.
PIND also in Q4 2020 incentivized private investors and participating farmers to invest 1.41billion Naira to implement good agricultural practices, technological innovations, purchase inputs and other capital expenditures. Between January and December 2020, 10.02billion Naira was invested by these entrepreneurs. Majority of the investments (6.7billion Naira) were equity investments by farmers and small-scale businesses, while 32% (3.3billion Naira) was debt financing from banks and government institutional funding assistance schemes.
PIND continues to work with State governments, the private sector, TVET institutions and local partners to improve the quality of capacity building and vocational training and to expand access to financial services for entrepreneurs. In this quarter, 1,416youth in Abia, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States were equipped with in-demand technical skills and competencies to prepare them for the world of work in paid employment, internships or entrepreneurship. 807 of them transited into waged employment. From January to December2020, PIND connected 1,288 young job seekers to dignified and fulfilling work, out of 2,887 who had improved skills.
Additionally, PIND played a significant role in catalyzing the market for low–carbon, low–cost solutions that offer high-quality energy access to coastal communities. Community–centered initiatives that PIND has led, including the environmentally-friendly solar energy mini grids and solar–powered cold rooms have addressed the challenges of energy access directly via an improved off–grid energy access to the poorest populations and businesses that operate in under-served or off-grid communities in the Niger Delta. Over 3,395 persons from 461 households and 595 businesses gained access to electricity supply.
Shifting its strategy from building the membership of the P4P Network to intensely activating the thousands of peace actors already signed up to deepen their work in peacebuilding and tackling conflict situations in their communities, PIND assisted 702 peace actors to apply skills that are necessary in acting faster when conflict occurs, which led to 147 emerging conflicts being mitigated in different locations.
