The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the British High Commission have both committed to exploring possible collaborations in the areas of green infrastructure and renewable energy in the Niger Delta.
The initiative was announced by Hamish Tye, Second Secretary (Political), British High Commission, Abuja, who was in charge of a group that paid a visit to Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director of the NDDC, at the commission’s Port Harcourt headquarters.
Tye said that the NDDC had demonstrated commitment to achieving sustainable development in the Niger Delta area through partnerships and cooperation with national and international development organizations in a statement signed over the weekend by NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs, Pius Ughakpoteni.
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He said: “The attraction to the NDDC now is to explore the possibilities of collaboration. Given the work the NDDC is doing in the Niger Delta region, I believe a lot of partners would support its efforts more broadly. We would further explore partnerships with the NDDC, with a focus on renewable, clean energy and green infrastructure.”
Ogbuku told the British delegation that the commission had made Public-Private Partnership (PPP) the core policy focus to drive the development of the Niger Delta region.
Ogbuku said: “Since we assumed office, we have made partnerships our core policy focus. We have visited several embassies and met with development partners and donor agencies.
“Partnerships are one of the major ways to achieve sustainable development in the Niger Delta region and it is important that NDDC, as the driver of development in the region, stays at the forefront of ensuring that the right partnerships are made.
“We had the Policy Dialogue with Development Partners in Abuja recently to deepen governance through transparency and value-added partnerships. It focused on how best NDDC, development partners, and the private sector could collaborate and promote greater synergy for enhanced results in the overall development of the region”.
The NDDC boss said that there had been positive fallouts from the conference in Abuja.
“For delegates from the British High Commission in Nigeria to visit us, it shows that they believe in us and are interested in what we are doing. This means that we are making remarkable progress”, he said.
The NDDC Executive Management recently traveled to Abuja to visit the offices of the French Development Agency (AFD) and the German Development Agency (GIZ), as well as the High Commission of India. Their goals were to identify new financing sources and acquire technical know-how for important projects.