The Ford Foundation has
signed a Memorandum
of Understanding, MOU,
with the Niger Delta Development
Commission, to spend N3.6
billion for skill development and
employment in the Niger Delta
region.
Signing the agreement on
Wednesday at the NDDC headquarters
in Port Harcourt, Mr.
Innocent Chukwuma, the Head
of West African office of the
Ford Foundation based in Lagos,
said that the MOU would
advance skill development and
employment of young people
in the nine states of the Niger
Delta in the next two years.
According to him, the foundation
identified a number of
areas of convergence of interest
and willingness to work
with the NDDC.
He said that those areas informed
the drafting of the MOU
and explained the rationale for
the partnership.
Chukwuma said: “The reasons
for this partnership are to
leverage on our resources, not
just financial but knowledge.
For instance, we don’t know the
terrain of the Niger Delta as
much as the NDDC.
“As an organization based in
Lagos, we don’t know the terrain
well enough. But with the
NDDC on the ground in the nine
Niger Delta States, its depth of
knowledge of the area will be
brought to bear on the work we
plan to do.
“Another interesting area
where this leveraging comes to
play is that Ford Foundation
has partners and guarantees all
around the world.
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