Improving Energy Security in the Niger Delta through Participatory Governance.

The aim of this programme is to complement national policy (including NEEDS and Vision 2020) and to promote bottom-up planning, where community plans (also referred to as Community Economic Empowerment Development Strategies CEEDS ) can contribute feed into national policy and thus support progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

In 2005, PNI facilitated a successful programme where community members from 18 Development Areas of Bayelsa State attended courses in participatory community development at the Akassa "living university". More then 100 Bayelsans were trained in participatory community development and the role and importance of community institutions during this programme. As a result, some of these communities expressed an interest in replicating what they saw in Akassa and mobilised to form their own CDFs and General Assemblies.

The Improving Energy Security in the Niger Delta through Participatory Governance programme is supporting these communities in Brass and Ogbia LGAs to produce community development plans. Support is also provided for advocacy to secure State/Local Government and private sector support for the implementation of these plans. Sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom , the programme also involves working directly with State and Local Government in support of participatory development and linking community planning with government planning.

Emerging Community Development Foundations

Following "living university" training, communities have self-mobilised to form CDFs in their own Development Areas. All have been founded on the volunteer efforts of the General Assembly members and Coordinators. These include:

Kolo Creek Development Foundation : The 12 communities of Kolo Creek Development Area went a long way to setting up a community based organisation in a similar vein to ADF. They have a gender balanced General Assembly and now have their own CEEDS, which outlines what interventions KCDF can facilitate if resources became available. Some of these projects are larger clan wide projects that can feed into LEEDS and Local Government planning. This document was submitted to Ogbia Local Government Council, NDDC and SPDC to leverage funding. The General Assembly members have benefited from training on their roles and responsibilities and further visits to Akassa "living university".

Ogbia Central Development Foundation and Kaiko Ibeawo Development Foundation: Ogbia Central Community Development Foundation has a General Assembly in place and has benefited from capacity building training. It is expected their CEEDS documents will be finalised in 2008 through Participatory Rural Appraisal.

Anyama Development Area: Communities are in the process of coming together and electing members to their General Assembly. Community members were given feedback by "living university" participants and there is enthusiasm for the establishment of a Community Development Foundation.

Some of the accomplishments of the programme include:

•  Communities in Kolo Creek, Ogbia Central and Kaiko Ibeawo Development Areas now have institutions that can effectively link with other stakeholders, including Local and State Government and the private sector to support development in their area.

•  If government wishes, it has an implementing partner to achieve development goals. By building in CEEDS into their plans, government, NDDC and other stakeholders can ensure synergy for interventions at the grass-root level.

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