Kenny Folarin, Abuja
The USAID-funded Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity will invest additional $2.5 million through the Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) to reduce hunger and malnutrition in the northeast region of Nigeria.
The Country Director, Mercy Corps Nigeria, Ndubisi Anyanwu and Chief of Party, Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity, Margarita Aswani made this known in a press statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to the duo, the investment aim at mitigating the negative impact of the conflict and insecurity in the region which has resulted in the loss of lives and property, destruction of critical infrastructure, displacement and the destabilization of economic, food and animal production.
Meanwhile, the USAID-funded Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience activity, through Mercy Corps Nigeria also signed partnership agreement with 14 private sector and civil society organizations to facilitate the recovery of the Northeast Nigeria business environment.
Country Director, Mercy Corps Nigeria, Ndubisi Anyanwu noted that the partnerships will increase incomes, promote sustainable change in market systems and enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers and microenterprise owners in conflict-areas of Northeast Nigeria.
Chief of Party, Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity, Margarita Aswani on her part stated that the new partners that have emerged through NOFO are representative of the locations where the Activity works.
“We are incredibly proud to be supporting local organizations that are investing in the region”.
The new partners are Zenith of the Girl Child and Women Initiative Support (ZEGCAWIS), Smiling Hearts Initiative International, Biu Women Castro & Jethropha Farmers.
Others include Livestock 247 Services, Diamond Development Initiative (DDI), Angela Fintech, Riby Market Place Limited, Solar Sisters Nigeria, Synergos, Standard Microfinance Bank Limited, Interra Networks Limited, Pula Advisor Nigeria Limited, Intrio Synergy Limited and Jewel Entrepreneurship and Business School (JEBS).