International Women's Day: Women Leading Efforts to Stabilize and Restore Communities in Nigeria Devastated by Boko Haram Insurgency

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Mar 08, 2023, 02:00 ET

ABUJA, Nigeria, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- March 8 marks International Women's Day, recognizing the important accomplishments of women worldwide. In Nigeria, a team of talented women from the Diplomatic Corp, are working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria and Federal and State government leaders to restore eight communities in northeastern Nigeria — a region devastated by years of insurgency caused by the Boko Haram.

The team encompasses a stabilisation steering committee which includes six women from the Ngarannam community. It also features an architect, an engineer and other key UNDP staff and partners from Nigeria, Sweden, Germany, and the EU.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock travelled to Nigeria in December to visit Ngarannam, the newly-constructed community that recently reopened with the support of the UNDP's Regional Stabilisation Facility (RSF). The community has received strong support from Germany, along with other EU partners including the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the Nigerian government.

Thousands of residents have returned home to Ngarannam, where twenty percent of all the jobs to rebuild the community were mandated to go to women.

The RSF, led by the Nigerian Government and the Borno State Government with support from UNDP and partners, is designed to curb extremism by reversing recruitment.
Developed from ruins, Ngarannam is proof that the RSF concept should be scaled to reach more affected communities.
Centered on inclusion and responsiveness to community needs, the reconstruction strategies employed emphasizes security and prioritizes income generation and essential services, ensuring individuals can recover with dignity and move out of dependency.

Minister Baerbock acknowledged that security in Northeast Nigeria requires more than defeating extremism: "Security also means being able to rely on state structures, to again place confidence in the police force, and to see a future for their children – thanks to education, healthcare and especially food security."

The team of women behind the work happening in Northeast Nigeria also includes:

Annett Günther, German Ambassador to Nigeria
Catriona Laing, British High Commissioner to Nigeria
Annika Hahn-Englund, Sweden Ambassador to Nigeria
Cecile Tassin-Pelzer, Head of Cooperation, European Union
Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo, Hon Commissioner Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development - Borno State Government
Tosin Oshinowo, Architect
Asmahan Alawaisheh, UNDP Nigeria Sr. Engineer
Lilian Dawa, UNDP Nigeria Livelihood Analyst
Amalachukwu Ibeneme, UNDP Nigeria Communications Sub-Office
Ngele Ali, UNDP Regional Advisor Africa