Local Govts Charged On International Funds For Development

Local governments have been charged to access international funding sources to accelerate grassroots development.

This push is part of a recent two-day capacity-building workshop organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Civil Society and Development Matters in collaboration with Five Twenty-One Limited.

The chairman of the committee, Hon. Obuzor Victor Chukwuemele, stressed the importance of local government chairmen leveraging available international funds to drive development in critical areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

He pointed out that tapping into these resources could significantly reduce the challenges faced in various aspects of local development.

“These funds are available but need to be accessed for genuine purposes,” Hon. Chukwuemele stated.
He also highlighted the potential of corporate social responsibility funds from multinational companies as an additional resource for community development.

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The workshop aimed to equip local government officials with the knowledge and skills needed to access funding from international organisation like USAID, JICA, DFID, and ActionAid.

The project consultant and convener, Dr Umar Bako, emphasised the crucial role of local governments as the third tier of government responsible for grassroots development.

“Rather than seeing local governments as conduits, the utilisation and assessment of foreign donations and grants can help achieve instant development,” Dr Bako explained.

This initiative represents a significant step towards empowering local governments to look beyond federal allocations and tap into the estimated 80,000 donor agencies worldwide for sustainable development projects.

The organisers hope that this training will increase local governments’ participation in seeking and utilising international funds, ultimately improving living conditions for citizens at the grassroots level.