A meeting convened by ACORD was held in Kano, Nigeria, in September to discuss the findings of research done by consultants in Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria on the development issues surrounding Lake Chad. The meeting involved civil servants and civil society representatives from Chad and civil society representatives from Nigeria and Cameroon.

What emerged from the analysis and discussions was that people were not primarily poor due to an absence of natural resources (the lake and the surrounding are infact quite well endowed with such resouces). Instead people's poverty arose from their lack of control over the resources they needed. This was due to weak instituitional mechanisms for communication between the population and those exercising decision making power.

ACORD's planning therefore comes in the context of:

1. a history of failed development interventions which have invested large amounts of resources on increasing agricultural and fishing production without achieving any significant change

2. continued vulnerability of the region to natural and man made disasters

3. the geography of Bornou

4. social exclusion of particular groups within Bornou and of Bornou by the rest of Nigeria

5. a wide range of conflicts involving pastoralists, farmers and fishermen across the national borders involved.

6. the lack of a strong NGO-CBO-Trade Union civil society but strong traditional structures and local, state and federal government.

The overall aim of the programme would therefore be to strengthen the institutional mechanisms for communication and influencing between citizens and those with decision making power.

On the assumption that all decisions have a political dimension this would involve ACORD in supporting the capacity of local organisations to influence those decisions and participating directly and in alliance with others in influencing those decisions. This is consistent with the changes in how ACORD defines its mission.

The strategies that we would develop would therefore be around aims:

1. reducing discrimination against women, lower castes and low status occupational groups

2. reducing conflict between resource users at both the local and regional levels

3. Promoting food security and income diversification. This would include many types of (classic) interventions including fish farming, transport, micro finance, improving women's capacities and helping to remove

Cross cutting issues will concentrate on exclusion (and its relation to the institutions which mediate between the population and various sources of power), gender, migration, literacy, isolation of Bornou in general and HIV & AIDS.

These strategies and cross cutting issues provide a framework rather than a blue print for ACORD's work in the region. Different projects doing different things in different places will all contribute to these common aims and strategies but they will be developed on the basis of further research with the communities involved and on the basis of their prioritisation.

The implementation of this approach will involve an initial 18 month process of establishing ACORD's presence in Nigeria and design based on further research with the communities involved.

1. Establish legal presence in Nigeria and Cameroon

2. Finalise management arrangements for each country initially based on management contract with a local organisation undertaking the work on ACORD's behalf.

3. Finalise 18 month programme of research, programme design and establishing presence/credibility.

3.1. Research on Community needs and aspirations and institutional actors, their roles and their potential for change.

3.2. Undertake initial activities that serve as basis for presence and credibility

3.3. Build partnerships/alliances with local organisations and individuals (NGO and state) who are interested in contributing to the aim of the programme.

4. Develop programme of activities in each country which relate to overall programme aim. Prioritise building on existing activities and relationships in Chad and developing both in Nigeria.

Return to top