PIND Launches Platform to Strengthen Niger Delta Host Community Trusts

 

By Atlantic Reports

The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has inaugurated a National Multi-Stakeholder Platform to address governance challenges affecting Host Communities Development Trusts and support implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act.

The platform will bring together host communities, trust representatives, state governments, regulators, oil companies, civil society organisations and development partners.

PIND’s Manager of Knowledge Management and Communications, Anne Ihugba, announced the initiative in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.

She said the platform was established under PIND’s CONNECT Project in partnership with the Ford Foundation to support structured dialogue, evidence sharing and coordinated action.

Its priorities include transparency, community participation, regulatory cooperation, conflict-sensitive planning and development that responds to climate risks.

For host communities, the intended benefit is stronger participation in decisions about their development and clearer accountability for how agreed priorities are delivered.

Focus on Follow-Through

PIND Executive Director Sam Daibo said the platform was intended to produce practical action, building on lessons from the foundation’s Bridges Project and expanding approaches to community-led development.

“The real test of this platform will be what happens after today, whether stakeholders follow through on agreed priorities, share evidence, resolve issues early and improve development outcomes for host communities,” he said.

Daibo said PIND would provide secretariat services and technical support, while members would be responsible for leadership, participation and accountability.

PIND board member Prof. Obafemi Ajibola said sustained cooperation was necessary to translate the Petroleum Industry Act’s host-community provisions into effective institutions and visible results.

“No institution or stakeholder group can close these gaps alone,” he said.

“This platform gives us a shared mechanism to surface challenges, learn across sectors and agree on who will do what and by when, to strengthen trust, accountability and delivery.”

Working Groups and State Engagements

Ajibola said the platform would operate through a plenary, a steering committee and time-bound technical working groups.

PIND’s secretariat role will include coordination, documentation and tracking agreed actions. State-level engagements and technical reviews are expected to follow as the CONNECT Project progresses.

The announcement did not specify the governance gaps already documented, the trusts participating, funding commitments or deadlines for the first set of actions.

Those details will help communities assess whether the platform is resolving problems and improving delivery. Its stated commitment to action tracking offers a basis for measuring progress beyond meetings and recommendations.

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