By Tejiri Ebikeme
Chairman/Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr. Clay Neff has commended the Foundation for Partnership Initiative for Niger Delta (PIND) for its commitment to establishing and encouraging innovative multi-stakeholder partnerships that support programs for community empowerment, economic growth and peaceful co-existence in the region.
Mr. Clay, who is also the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the PIND Foundation, made the commendation on Thursday October 2, 2014, during his visit to the field office of Foundation in Warri Delta State. He also appreciated the staff and partners of PIND for their commitment to the objective of the Foundation which is to provide support for socio-economic development programs in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
The Chevron MD, who was accompanied by the Director, NNPC/CNL Joint Venture Operations, Mr. Supo Shadiya, expressed delight on the efforts of PIND and its partners in charting a new course for implementing programs aimed at improving peaceful livelihoods in the Niger Delta region and applauded their zeal. “I am excited about being part of PIND and Chairman of the board of the organization. I appreciate the enthusiasm you all bring to your activities in PIND and have hopes for what the programs of the Foundation will continue to do in terms of socio-economic development in the Niger Delta region,” he remarked.
At the PIND Economic Development Centre, Warri, the visitors were treated to different presentations on PIND’s projects which include: Aquaculture, Cassava and Palm oil value chain projects, Appropriate Technology Enabled Development (ATED); Partners for Peace (P4P); Business Linkages Initiatives among others.
The Managing director was informed that PIND’s value chain projects focus on poverty reduction by applying a market development approach, and that each project seeks to create more accessible and inclusive market systems, thereby increasing the economic opportunities for large numbers of the poor and providing a path for them to escape poverty.
While summarizing the presentations, PIND’s Field Projects Manager, Mr. Sylvester Okoh noted that all the programs of the Foundation have recorded significant accomplishments in the goals of increasing income generation of the people and their capacities in adopting best practices and applying appropriate technologies in cassava production, palm oil production and aquaculture.
He also stated that the PIND’s Business Linkage Initiatives help facilitate strong and effective market connection between large companies (Oil and Gas, Multinationals and large indigenous) operating in the Niger Delta region and local small and medium enterprise suppliers of goods and services.
Mr. Okoh mentioned some of the accomplishments of PIND which include the successful intervention in aquaculture through support to the United Ufuoma Fish Farmers Association (UUFFA), Ekpan, which has been extended to Asaba and Ughelli; Cassava projects in Edo State, Palm oil projects in various parts of the country and other interventions. According to him, PIND has also initiated the use of such technologies as Biosand Filters for Water treatment in some communities, Chorker Fish smoking oven (which has high fish smoking capacity and is less hazardous to health and the environment), Motorized adjustable oil palm fruit bunch harvester, and improved palm oil processing technology, among others. The visitors were welcomed to PIND Warri office by Mr. Sam Daibo, the Executive Director, of the organization.
