Promoting Partnering in the Niger Delta
By Allswell O. Muzan, Esq


Mac Arthur/ NDDC Partnering Project Director, Dr. Allswell Muzan; Mrs. Mercy
Ikpe, NDDC Director of Community Development; Chief Bristol. Alagbariya of Bonny
Kingdom; and Dr. Judy Asuni, at the Shell stakeholders workshop Warri, Delta State,
in February 2004

AAPW announces the take-off of its Partnering project funded by the MacArthur Foundation of the U.S. and the Niger Delta Development Commission. In September 2003, the MacArthur Foundation approved AAPW’s proposal to promote Partnerships and Improved Communication Among Stakeholders in the Niger Delta. The project starts in February 2004 and it is initially expected to last for 2 years.
The initial pilot stage of the project is sited in three local government areas of three Niger Delta States: Gbarain LGA, Bayelsa State; Warri South LGA, Delta State; and Etche LGA, Rivers State. These LGAs share the following common features:

• They are host communities to one of the biggest oil giants in Nigeria: Shell Petroleum Development Company.

• They have all experienced violent conflicts in the past;

The project is designed to improve channels of communication and cooperation among the various stakeholders in the Niger Delta, in order to maximize effectiveness of the human and financial resources in the region. Such positive and non-threatening interaction among the stakeholders will also build bridges of trust and lead to a reduction in the confrontational attitude exhibited by many stakeholders at present. The trust generated among the stakeholders as an outcome of these dialogues will then assist the stakeholders in initiating more collaborative activities that maximize use of their resources. The project also aims to establish and gain cooperation for a 2nd Track Nongovernmental Advisory Committee for the NDDC. Towards achieving the above objectives, the project will identify and develop a database of stakeholders.
The above objectives fall into three major activity categories:

• The Establishment of a Stakeholders Information and Coordination Center.

• Development of model Stakeholders Partnerships.

• Establishment and facilitation of a 2nd Track Nongovernmental Advisory Committee for the NDDC.
The Project Director for this project is myself, Allswell O. Muzan Esq, a lawyer/economist. I lead a team of Project Officers and Admin Officers who work centrally from the AAPW Coordinating Center at No. 19 Lord Emmanuel Drive, Rumuomasi, near Air Force base, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.