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Championing Peace, Stability in the Niger Delta

An integrated approach to combatting poverty and reducing conflict
Nigeria | 2017
| Global Impact
|

A Country of Extremes

Oil-rich Nigeria has experienced rapid economic growth over the last decade – becoming one of the largest economies in Africa.

And by 2050, the population is projected to top 400 million people, surpassing the United States as the third-most populous country in the world. However, Nigeria ranks at just 152 out of 188 countries on the UN’s Human Development Index, mostly due to the extreme poverty of its Niger Delta region.

Throughout the area – which produces nearly 75 percent of Nigeria’s export earning – residents lack access to health care and other basic social services and youth are vulnerable to recruitment by gangs and militant groups. Today, 43 percent of the Niger Delta population lives below the poverty line.

4 out of 10

People in the Niger Delta live below the poverty line

A Partnership for Change

Since 2010, Chevron has partnered with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to help address socio-economic challenges in the Niger Delta region.

Established with an initial $25 million commitment from Chevron and matched by a USAID investment, the Niger Delta Partnership Initiative Foundation works to promote equitable economic development, create new jobs, and build the capacity of local governments and civil society to establish enduring peace.

With an additional commitment of $40 million from Chevron in 2014, the foundation now works alongside a Nigerian-based implementing partner, the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta, to carry out a wide range of programs – from health to education to peace building – bringing sustainable change to the Niger Delta.

Impact

Chevron’s partnership with USAID has helped bring international attention to the challenges in the Niger Delta and has catalyzed nearly $100 million in external investments from additional donors and the private sector to improve the region’s food security, health, and education.

The partnership has created new jobs for at-risk youth and helped farmers improve their productivity – with over 33,000 farmers increasing their incomes through the strengthened agriculture sector. Chevron has also provided HIV/AIDS testing and treatment to over 53,000 pregnant women in 670 health facilities across the region, and has provided malaria treatment to more than 32,000 people.

Moreover, tens of thousands of students have benefited from new education programs, and nearly 4,000 activists have joined a growing movement of peace actors in communities across the Delta, building the foundation to mitigate future conflict.

How Public-Private Partnerships Are Tackling the World’s Toughest Challenges
Over the last 25 years, American innovation and assistance has helped to cut extreme poverty in half and save millions of lives around the world. But that impact isn’t only seen abroad – the return on investment is also unmatched here at home. The State Department, USAID, and America’s development agencies are engaging new partners, catalyzing private sector resources, and leading new approaches to solve pressing global challenges in areas such as health, agriculture, and energy – creating new forms of public-private partnerships that maximize taxpayer dollars and increase our nation’s security and prosperity.

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