United Nations partners with private sector in Nigeria to raise $80 million for the North East crisis

The United Nations seeks to partner with the private sector in Nigeria to raise more than $80 million to promote continuing humanitarian intervention in the country’s north-eastern portion.

Working under the Private Sector Initiative (NHF-PSI) of the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund introduced in February 2017, a commission led by First Bank of Nigeria Plc chairman Ibukun Awosika is targeting $80 million (approx. N29 billion) as assistance.

This financing is in relation to the more than $90 million that 17 donor nations donated last year to the project.

The NHF-PSI is described as a “global groundbreaking initiative” created in Nigeria and managed on behalf of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

As the protracted crisis continues, the private sector in Nigeria is entering the humanitarian response domain and has committed to contributing resources.

It also seeks to define cooperative ways across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe countries to tackle the humanitarian requirements of more than 7.1 million individuals in need.

“The Private Sector Initiative of the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund is an innovative platform to promote efficient cooperation between the UN, Nigeria’s government and Nigeria’s major company,” says Edward Kallon, Nigeria’s UN humanitarian coordinator.

The NHFPSI team, co-chaired by Kyari Bukar, the former chairperson of the Nigerian Economic Summit group, on Tuesday oaid a visit to the camps for internally displaced people in Maiduguri where they had first-hand contact with the thousands of displaced people.

The team paid a courtesy call to the Deputy Governor of Borno State at the end of their UN-guided tour of the IDP camps.

Mrs Awosika said some Nigerian banks are taking the lead in fundraising, adding that they have been united with their fellow Nigerians impacted by the ongoing crisis through common solidarity.

“These are our citizens, this is our nation,” she said, “and this is our issue.”

“As much as the remainder of the globe helps us, we need to be able to discover alternatives for our individuals. As a Nigerian, the people I met here today are our brothers, sisters and kids, and I don’t want to see any of them living in the conditions we’ve seen here today.”

She also said the visit to the camp had given them more “impetus and the drive to take the situation more seriously than we ever did”.

“Our vision is beyond what our companies can do. Our goal is to get every single Nigerian to own this situation,” she said.

Mr Kallon said he believes in the crucial role Nigeria’s private sector ”has to play in driving forward effective solutions to the humanitarian crisis”.

“We are here today to see how we can work with them to mobilise action and resources to meet the needs of the displaced people in North-east Nigeria,” he said.

A declaration published by UN-OCHA shows that NHFPSI’s visit on Tuesday was the private sector’s second visit to Borno State leaders.

“The initiative will see Nigerian companies join donor countries in pooling donations and resources together. The platform aims to create a more collaborative and effective response by bringing awareness to the ongoing humanitarian crisis – one of the most severe in the world – which is predominantly affecting women and children.

“14 of Nigeria’s leading companies signed up to the initiative launched in Lagos in November 2018, which will harness their financial resources, innovative capacity and entrepreneurial drive in support of the humanitarian response. The NHF-PSI offers a measurable and accountable platform for companies to pool their resources together to more effectively transform the lives of millions of their fellow Nigerians.

“To date, the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund has raised $90 million in contributions and pledges, thanks to the generous support of seventeen donor countries, and aspires to raise $80 million from the private sector. The unique collaboration presents an unprecedented opportunity for Nigerian businesses to lead the way in bringing Nigerians together for Nigeria,” the statement reads.

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