Residents across Okomu Oil Palm Company’s host communities in Edo State are benefiting from a programme designed to strengthen peacebuilding and economic development across the region.

Led by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) in partnership with Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc (OOPC), the initiative has inaugurated a 58-member Joint Steering Committee to guide development, ensuring community voices shape priorities, oversee projects, and influence local decision-making.

The committee, made up of traditional leaders, youth, and women from 18 host communities, provides a platform to resolve disputes, monitor projects, and promote inclusive governance. It follows a Comprehensive Needs Assessment that highlighted leadership conflicts, youth frustration, limited economic opportunities, weak governance, and the exclusion of women from decision-making.

To strengthen stakeholders’ capacity, PIND facilitated a two-day workshop for committee members, focusing on mediation, inclusive engagement, project oversight, and early conflict detection through its Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) system. Members were also trained to use PIND’s Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) framework for adaptive management and real-time monitoring.

The intervention fosters collaboration between communities and OOPC, improves communication and accountability, and channels resources toward youth employment, energy access, and small business development. By empowering residents to actively participate, the initiative helps prevent conflict while promoting sustainable growth.

Source: PIND Foundation