Nigeria

About UNDP Nigeria

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been operating in the Federal Republic of Nigeria since independence in the 1960s, providing the country with relevant technical assistance required for sustainable economic and social development.  The legal authority to operate in the country is contained in a Standard Basic Agreement signed between the Government of Nigeria and UNDP.

UNDP currently offers support to the Nigerian Government within the context of the 6th Country Programme, as contained in the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF),   the Government’s economic blueprint, National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) and the State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (SEEDS), which are geared towards eradicating poverty through sustainable economic and social development for Nigerian citizens. UNDP’s four focus areas of support include:
 

• The Poverty Reduction Programme supports national efforts to reduce poverty levels so as to improve the quality of lives of Nigerians through strategic, well coordinated pro-poor policy and institutional strengthening initiatives targeted at achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
• The Governance and Human Rights programmesupports development and strengthening of competencies of key national institutions, civil society and community based organizations including the private sector and the media, in line with national priority of promoting good governance, human rights, conflict prevention and management and fighting against corruption.
• The Energy and Environment for Sustainable Development Programme supports national initiatives that contribute to environmental sustainability, an imperative for sustainable growth and poverty reduction, as well as the attainment of Goal 7 of the Millennium Development Goals. This is achieved by supporting policy development and integration of energy and environment issues into policies, plans and programmes of the government and projects which increase access to affordable energy alternatives, domesticate environmental conventions and control erosion and desertification.
• The HIV/AIDS Programme is helping to build institutional capacity to plan, implement and manage multi-sectoral strategies at both national and sub-national levels in Nigeria to limit and reverse the spread of HIV & AIDS and mitigate its social and economic impact on poor people and women.

UNDP also effectively engages in advocacy on topical development through the publication of the National Human Development Report, and the Nigerian Millennium Development Goals Report.
UNDP programmes, publications and advisory services are all geared towards helping Nigeria achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

UNDP is funded primarily through the Target for Resource Assignment from the Core (TRAC) TRAC 1 and TRAC II resources, which are complemented by considerable Cost Sharing by government partners at the Federal and State levels. 
UNDP support activities are coordinated at the federal level by the National Planning Commission.  At the state level, UNDP works in 18 out of the 36 states of the Federation, where its programmes are coordinated by the State Planning Commissions or Ministries of Economic Planning in each state.
UNDP is led at the Country level by the Resident Representative (RR), Alberic Kacou, who is also the UN Resident Coordinator (RC).
As RR/RC he deploys about 70% of his time to coordinating the UN System in Nigeria. He is supported in the UNDP Country Office by a Country Director, who is assisted by two Deputy Resident Representatives.