Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has highlighted its successes in 2023.
Disclosing this in its Annual Report themed: “Advancing Frontiers for Greater Impact,” PIND’s executive director, Tunji Idowu, noted that despite the socioeconomic challenges, including rising inflation and foreign exchange rate fluctuations which affected purchasing power in the country, the Foundation continued to exceed expectations in delivering on its mission to facilitate peace and equitable economic growth in the Niger Delta.
According to him, “2023 saw us exceeding expectations and achieving several milestones as we consolidated our previous work and successes while exploring new opportunities, together with our partners, PIND continued to find creative, people-centered ways to carry out our mission to facilitate peace and equitable economic growth in the Niger Delta.”
The foundation noted that it worked with about 100 service providers through its Market Systems Development project to support over 49,000 farmers (46.35% females) with recorded cumulative investments by PIND-supported farmers and MSMEs at over ₦ 10 billion, established Peace Clubs in secondary schools and universities across the region to foster change in attitude and behaviour and promote peace through education.
According to the foundation, PIND launched a business start-up challenge fund through its Youth Employment Pathways project in which 66 successful contestants received grants totaling N42 million to establish their businesses, adding that it also facilitated the implementation of the United States Agency for International Development-led Health Electrification and Telecommunication Alliance (HETA) project aimed at providing electricity to healthcare facilities in the Niger Delta and by the end of 2023, 12 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) across Bayelsa, Delta, and Ondo states had benefited from this project.
Also, the foundation stated that through strategic collaborations with the government, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders, it strengthened its existing peacebuilding structures geared at promoting conflict prevention, management, and resolutions.
The foundation also harped on partnering with the Ford Foundation on The Bridges Project to support the implementation of the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) component of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) through awareness creation and capacity building for non-governmental and community-based organisations.
