Nimba County -The food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO] along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched US$1 million project for communities affected by concession operations in Bomi and Nimba Counties.
The project intends to strengthen conflict prevention through the establishment of multi-stakeholder platforms and improved alternative livelihoods within concession affected areas.
The funding will be provided by United Nation Peace Building fund while the Ministries of Agriculture; Youth and Sports; Internal Affairs, and Gender and Development and the National Bureau of Concession will sever as implementing partners.
The 18 months project will help improve alternative livelihoods for concession affected Communities for human security, it will target 1,200 people most of them would be women and youth.
Speaking at the launched of the project in Sanniquellie, the Country representative for FAO Madam Mariatou Njie said the project is designed to provide alternative livelihood sources for women and youth living in concession affected communities.
According to Madam Mariatou Njie, the project will provide capacity building through the introduction of simple innovative technologies to attract the youth to agriculture and will promote equal participation and social cohesion.
Over 6,000 people will also be indirect beneficiaries of the project.
The FAO Country Representative said the project will further consolidate peaceful co-existence between concessionaires and communities through mitigation and preventive measures.
Madam Njie disclosed that the project will support the establishment of more effective government and administration system, implement comprehensive reforms to improve equitable access to farmlands and security of inclusive sustainable growth and development of the environment.
She noted that the joint effort will also strengthen the emerging multi-stakeholder platforms for the non-judicial mitigation of land concession disputes and develop alternative livelihoods for affected communities to prevent land conflict.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s Nimba County Coordinator Samuel Kehleay called on the beneficiaries to make maximum use of the project as it is intended to help improve their living condition.
Nimba County Gender and development Coordinator Madam Yar Belleh Suah then called on the rural women to be fully involved with the project because it will help them to produce.
“We as rural women, we need to be involved with this project because women are mostly been affected in terms of violence,” she said, calling on the women to take the project as a major project for them.
Report By Franklin Doloquee, FPA Contributor
Support Independent Journalism
Your support helps FrontPage Africa continue delivering independent, credible, and impactful journalism. Every contribution strengthens our ability to investigate, inform, and hold power accountable while keeping quality journalism accessible to our readers.
Support our journalism or subscribe to receive the latest FrontPage Africa stories and updates.
