Nigeria

About UNDP Nigeria

UNDP has been in Nigeria since the country became independent in 1960. In the last  programme cycle (2003-2008), UNDP provided capacity building and policy development support to the Federal Government and 21 states drawn from the six geo-political zones in four programme areas: Governance & Human Rights; Poverty Reduction; HIV & AIDS; and Energy & Environment.

In November 2008, the Federal Government of Nigeria and UNDP agreed and signed a new 7th Country Programme that runs from 2009 – 2012 under the UN Development Assistance Framework, UNDAF II.  The 7th CP offers a menu of programme options and components from which the federal and participating states government partners could chose.  They are:  i. the Economic Governance Programme, ii. the Capacity for Governance Programme, iii. the Private Sector Development Programme and, iv. the Sustainability and Risk Management Programme.  The 7th CP will be implemented through effective partnership with relevant federal government institutions and selected states. 

UNDP will work in a total of 14 states of the federation. It will implement programmes alone in the following 7 states:  Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Niger, Ondo, Rivers and Sokoto. Working with other UN agencies UNDP will carry out joint programmes in another 6 states and the FCT, viz; – Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Imo, Kaduna, Lagos and the FCT in the spirit of ‘delivery as one.’  In addition to working with federal and states government partners, UNDP will also partner with other stakeholders such as donors, development partners, academia, media and Civil Society Organisations.

The Country Office engages mainly in strategic upstream support and catalytic downstream activities, all aimed at enhancing human development and promoting the MDGs in Nigeria. Under the Economic Governance programme, (EGP) UNDP will provide strategic support to the Government’s fiscal planning to achieve medium to long-term development priorities. It has three sub-components: – Development planning and statistics, Fiscal policy reform, and Aid coordination. 

The Capacity for Governance Programme (CGP) is designed to improve the lives of the people by strengthening government accountability and effective utilisation of public resources, increasing public participation in governance through sustained free and fair election processes.  It  has three sub-components:   i. Electoral reform and Deepening of democracy, ii.  Public accountability, and iii.   Local governance.

Private Sector Development Programme (PSDP)  is aimed at growing the non-oil resource base and creating wealth for the poor through the concept of ‘inclusive markets’, an approach designed to make markets work better for the poor. The programme will address unmet needs of the productive sectors in the areas of reliable and affordable credit and energy.

The Sustainability and Risk Management Programme (SRMP)will support the protection and development of the people and natural resources including preventing crisis that can delay or interrupt development processes by promoting enabling policies, laws and regulations. Building on lessons from the 6th CP programmes on integration of energy and environment and mainstreaming of HIV and AIDs into development of policies and frameworks, as well as support to the resolution of crisis in the Niger Delta, the programme will be delivered through three sub-components: Governance of environmental resources and risks, Governance of the country response to HIV/AIDS and Conflict prevention, management and peace-building.

Catalytic downstream activities that complement the upstream capacity building, policy and advisory services include the two Millennium Village projects sited in Pampaida village, Zaria in Kaduna state and the Ikharam Ibaram cluster in Ondo State. The Local Development Project, a strategic development partnership between the state government, local governments, communities and UNDP currently located in communities in Bayelsa and Ondo States are geared towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals at the local level.

Besides the annual global Human Development Report, a flagship development advocacy publication of the UNDP, the national Human Development Report is produced every other year on topical development issues of national interest. The latest edition is on the theme of Growth with equity.

As the lead agency of the UN Development Group, UNDP coordinates global and national efforts for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the far-reaching, simply articulated and achievable goals agreed to by world leaders at the UN Millennium Summit of 2000.  In collaboration with national authorities, it coordinates the yearly production of Nigeria’s Millennium Development Report.