This report highlights the achievements of PIND’s program interventions in the Niger Delta from January – March 2021 (Quarter 1 of 2021). It also provides relevant information about program management, lessons learned, and plans for the next quarter. The report demonstrates that the program interventions are on course to meeting their targets for the year and potentially trigger change in the overall climate for broad-based economic growth in the Niger Delta, despite the economic slowdown driven primarily by the Covid–19 pandemic and conflict in the region.
PIND’s activities are designed to promote and sustain a culture of learning and adaptation, to build a process where evidence plays a significant role in determining policy direction and interventions in economic development, peace building, advocacy, and capacity building of both government institutions and civil society in the Niger Delta.
PIND made significant progress in its initiatives this quarter; the following are highlights of its achievements in Q1, 2021:
- PIND’s market development projects continue to demonstrate progress towards widespread change. During the quarter, 8,935 farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs (more than 36% of them being women), were reached with information and knowledge on best practices and efficient technologies in the crop and non-crops sectors.
- PIND incentivized private investors and participating farmers to invest N688 million to implement good agricultural practices, technological innovations, purchase inputs and other capital expenditures. Majority of the investments this quarter (N650 million) were debt financing from bank and government institutional funding assistance schemes, accessed by farmers and small-scale businesses, while 5.77% (N38 million) were equity investments in PIND’s interventions by the farmers. Also, through the access to energy project, PIND influenced investments in energy solutions by the private sector, worth N45.4 million. In addition, the capacity building project supported women and CSOs to access a total of N15.4 million naira in loans (N12.4 million) and grants (N3 million).
- In the GMoU communities, PIND in collaboration with Sombreiro Kapital, facilitated financial literacy training for 113 fish processors and fisherfolks in the Itsekiri and Ilaje RDCs, in Delta and Ondo States, respectively. 78 of them have been profiled and screened to access finance and linked to Sterling Bank for the purchase of Chorkor ovens and fish. Also loans worth N10.2million were disbursed to 17 fish farmers from Ondo and Delta States, for applications made in Q4, 2020. In addition, with logistical support from the Itsekiri RDC, 14 Chorkor ovens were installed at the request of 14 fish processors from Kokodiagbene, Ajudaibo, and Madangho Communities in Delta State.
- PIND also played a significant role in driving the market for low–carbon, low–cost solutions that offer high-quality energy access to coastal communities. Community–centered initiatives which PIND has championed, 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. Within the reporting period, 734 people from 50 households and 114 businesses gained access to electricity supply in Ogbimbiri and Ogheye Communities in Warri North LGA, both in Delta State. Furthermore, PIND continued its support to the Warri Multi-stakeholder Platform (MSP), and following media sensitisation campaigns by the Warri MSP in 2020, and active interactions between key stakeholders in Warri North, such as interactions between the Warri North LGA representative who is the co-chair of the MSP and a representative from the Egbema Palace (also a key political player in Warri North LGA), as well as people within the Itsekiri group such as the Vice Chairmanship candidate for Warri North; contributed to the election of the first ever Warri North LGA Chairman from the Ijaw ethnic nationality in March 2021, in a violence-free election.
- Shifting its strategy from growing the membership of the P4P Network to intensely activating its thousands of members/peace actors and deepening their work in peacebuilding by tackling conflict situations in their communities, PIND assisted 121 peace actors to apply skills that are necessary for early response to conflicts. This led to 25 quality actions1 being taken to mitigate conflict in different locations across the Niger Delta.
Grate job.
I wish to partner with PIND to grow new improved Cassava seeds
I am an agricultural extensionist, i have a poultry farm and a cassava farm, I hope to increase my production as well as go into processing to add more value to my products in order to make more profits. I will like to partner with PIND to achieve this target. Thanks