The Community Development Foundation Initiative started in May 2004 as the 'Coastal Development Initiative' . Based on the 'Akassa model' for whole community development it was launched to promote the establishment of more Community Development Foundations in coastal communities.
By starting in the most rural and least developed areas, PNI hoped to support the most marginalised communities in the Delta, and in doing so, create a corridor of peace and development along the coastline of Nigeria.
This initiative has since spread inland as communities and stakeholders have begun to adapt and adopt the "Akassa model" to suit their own needs and circumstances. In light of these developments, PNI Nigeria expanded its Coastal Development Initiative in 2007 to form the Community Development Foundation Initiative, promoting Community Development Foundations inland as well as along the coast.
The initiative currently incorporates our flagship programmes (which are now running independently, with only minimal input and supervision from PNI Nigeria), are the Akassa Development Foundation and the Eastern Obolo Community Development Foundation, both of which are featured on our website. We are also facilitating the establishment of other foundations, which are in various stages of the process in Opobo-Nkoro and Egi (Rivers), Kolo Creek, Ogbia Central and Kaiko-Ebeawo (Bayelsa State), Oron, Eket and Esit Eket (Akwa Ibom). In addition, a pilot, 'confidence building and learning' phase of a programme in Bonny LGA (Rivers State) was also completed in 2005.
In all these LGAs, PNI is actively creating legally responsible and accountable community based organisations through which development interventions can be channeled. Features of a CDF include:
A governance body consisting of a Board of Trustees and a General Assembly. The trustees are the legal proprietors of the Foundation and are registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. Members must be indigenes of the area and fully supportive of the Foundation.
A General Assembly which is the main body for overseeing the work of the Foundation. Its membership must be gender balance and all members must be resident in the area. All communities in the LGA are represented, regardless of their status with oil companies (host or non-host).
CDF staff trained to conduct Participatory Rural Appraisal in all communities within the LGA on an annual basis.
Projects identified through PRA, prioritised across the LGA by representatives of all communities and the General Assembly, planned and implemented by an institution or management committee consisting of beneficiaries and stakeholders, with support from the CDF.
When fully operational, activities of the CDF typically:
Operate a credit and savings scheme that all residents can be members of.
Improve educational facilities and standards in the LGA, through improving schools, educational scholarships, operate nursery schools, provide teachers' quarters etc.
Improve health facilities, train traditional birth attendants to reduce child mortality, run revolving drug schemes
Advocate to Local and State Government for additional support and resources.
Publish all their budgets, expenditure and progress in local newspapers on a quarterly basis, and
Other activities as determined by the communities; e.g., conduct annual sports events, football tournaments, operate subsidised transport, etc.
Most importantly, all activities are managed through community institutions or committees ensuring that there is full ownership of the programme by the community. Such is the success of these programmes that community members often refer to their Foundation as their "local government". The challenge is now to work with State and Local Governments to identify how the CDFs can be better supported by their LGA and to support the work of local government. Already, both Akassa and Eastern Obolo are actively campaigning their State and Local governments. In Akassa, the Bayelsa State Government has supported the micro-credit programme and awarded the construction of the coastal community road, (previously being undertaken section by section the ADF). In Eastern Obolo, the Government has partnered to provide staff and other support for health facilities constructed by the foundation.
The programmes are supported by Statoil, TOTAL Nigeria, Frontier oil and Gas, Nexen, The British High Commission, The French Embassy and other local and international donors.
The possible inclusion of communities within Brass LGA would mean that almost half of all coastal communities in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa state are now participating to some degree. The ultimate aim of this is to realise sustained improvement in local conditions, the introduction of transparent decision making, improved local governance service delivery and ultimately a reduction in conflict and increased security for industrial operations.
The CDI has demonstrated that investments in community-led social development can be successful in the Niger Delta, when a coordinated partnering approach is taken, bringing multiple stakeholders together around a common interest and towards a common goal.
The success of these programmes has also influenced both SDPC and Chevron to adopt an institutional approach for community development through their own GMOU models. PNI advised Chevron and made a major contribution to the operational procedures for the SPDC GMOU model. Unfortunately, both organisations have excluded non-host communities from their models and are not working within local government areas, thus their capacity to reduce community conflict and to link with local government authorities will be reduced.
