The Mercy Corps has partnered the United States for International Development (USAID) to facilitate the recovery of business environment in the Northeast.
The partnership aims to improve the “resilience and livelihoods” of small-scale farmers and business outfits.
Mercy Corps Country Director, Ndubisi Anyanwu in a statement, yesterday (Tuesday) in Maiduguri, disclosed: “We value partnerships and believe they offer the best opportunities to deliver quality programmes for sustenance in the long run.”
He added that 14 organised private sectors (OPS) and civil society organisations (CSOs) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate the recovery of livelihoods of small scale farmers and entrepreneurs.
He lamented that the market structures in the region have been negatively impacted by the ongoing “conflict and insecurity to people’s lives and property.
The 13-year insurgency has destroyed critical infrastructures, displacements, and the destabilization of agricultural and livestock production.
Besides, he added that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the inaccessibility of the poor and rural dwellers.
He further lamented that the most hit victims, include women, youth, persons living with disabilities, and IDPs to access the market systems.
To overcome these challenges, the Rural Resilience Activity (RRA) is investing $2.5 million (N1.17 billion) through the Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO).
This is why he said that the OPS and civil society partners are to implement the innovative ideas to reduce hunger and malnutrition.
“This will increase the incomes and resilience of smallholder farmers, micro-entrepreneurs and other organizations in the region,” stating that they could remove the bottlenecks that impede inclusive market participation of marketers.
This additional funding will help to create market opportunities for the participants by removing bottlenecks that impede inclusive market participation due to the shortage of market actors.
He said the partnerships are valued that could provide best opportunities to deliver quality programmes that should be sustained in the long run.
