RCE Greater Yenagoa - 2021

GBARAIN/EKPETIAMA CLUSTER-WIDE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Basic Information
Title of project : 
GBARAIN/EKPETIAMA CLUSTER-WIDE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Greater Yenagoa
Contributing organization(s) : 
1. GBARAIN/EKPETIAMA CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT BOARD (G/E-CDB)
2. COMMUNITY INTER-RELATIONS AND CONCILIATION INITIATIVE (CIRCI)
3. NIGER DELTA UNIVERSITY (NDU)
4. GBARAIN/EKPETIAMA SCHOLARSHIP/SKILL ACQUISITION COMMITTEE
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
MR. PROFIT BIBOBARA
Organizational Affiliation: 
GBARAIN/EKPETIAMA CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT BOARD
Name: 
SIR ANTHONY WAKWE LAWRENCE
Organizational Affiliation: 
COMMUNITY INTER-RELATIONS AND CONCILIATION INITIATIVE
Name: 
PROF. TUEMI TUDOU ASUKA
Organizational Affiliation: 
NIGER DELTA UNIVERSITY
Format of project: 
Manuscript
Language of project: 
English
Date of submission:
Monday, October 4, 2021
Additional resources: 
1. https://education.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NATIONAL-POLICY-ON-EDUCATION.pdf
2. The SDG in action (UNDP) 2021
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiPuIDUxfLyAhWwyoUKHXGSAfQQFnoECBQQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.undp.org%2Fsustainable-development-goals&usg=AOvVaw0Q6-i3ttVAVB0c0gBujdFM
3. Make the SDG a reality (United Nations) 2018
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiAkr68xPLyAhVBhRoKHT2SBlwQtwJ6BAgaEAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsdgs.un.org%2Fgoals&usg=AOvVaw2OAoADkursLaeVqubOJGAq

https://education.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NATIONAL-POLICY-ON-EDUCATION.pdf
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Africa and Middle East
Country: 
Nigeria
Location(s): 
YENAGOA LGA, BAYELSA STATE
Address of focal point institution for project: 
MR. PROFIT BIBOBARA
CHAIRMAN, GBARAIN/EKPETIAMA CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT BOARD
BIOGBOLO
YENAGOA
BAYELSA STATE
NIGERIA
Ecosystem(s):
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Gbarain/Ekpetiama clans/kingdoms are within the Greater Yenagoa network area in Bayelsa state. Bayelsa State is endowed with an abundance of oil and gas reserves and is one of the six core oil-producing states of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. English is the official language but, Epie-Atissa language, one of the Ijaw languages, is the major local dialect spoken in Yenagoa. The people are, mostly, fishing folks and subsistence farmers. The region is mostly made of seasonally flooded wet lowlands with a mixture of rain forest and mangrove vegetation, which provides several ecosystems’ services for sustenance of their livelihoods.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
There is massive economic poverty, high rates of unemployment and lack of adequate educational facilities. These have resulted in many social vices among the youths including drug addiction, prevalence of crimes and frequent violent conflicts. There are also the problems of seasonal flooding of farm lands and the communities affecting the general wellbeing. This programme is aimed at alleviating the problems of poverty, unemployment and youth related hopelessness.
Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Period: 
November, 2020
Rationale: 
Using participatory and beneficiary driven approaches, the communities had sustainable livelihood assessment exercises and subsequently planned possible interventions to address the key developmental problems identified. Based on the need to urgently address the threats particularly posed by youth poverty and unemployment conditions, a decision was taken by the development cluster G/E-CDB and the other community stakeholders to initiate a strategic intervention approach involving formulating the goals, agreeing the objectives and developing the interventions to address the issues holistically and in an integrated manner.
This approach was adopted to ensure the following:
i. All the segments of the youths (unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled) are carried on board. The targets were to further build the capacities of each segment to make them more effective, productive and employable.
ii. Adopt an integrated approach and implement a programme that will synergistically and holistically better achieve the set goals and objectives.
iii. We identified four broad categories of interventions which are directed at resolving the problems namely vocational skill acquisition scheme to benefit 80 youths at a time, post graduate scholarship awards for 36 persons, enterprise empowerment scheme for 60 persons and intra and inter community youth sports competitions for all youths.
Objectives: 
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
Skill acquisition:
i. Enable youths to acquire skills/vocations for self-employment and/or job creation.
ii. Reduce poverty among the youths.
PG Scholarship:
i. Produce high level manpower in different fields for employment and growth in work organizations.
Sports development:
i. Provide a platform for youths of the various communities in the cluster to interact together, work harmoniously in teams and develop friendly relationships.
ii. Motivate the youths and point them towards the direction of self-worth and self-reliance.
Enterprise empowerment:
i. Enable them become more productive and more effective in their chosen businesses as economic empowerment efforts.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
1. Sustainable livelihood assessment
2. Participatory intervention planning
3. Participatory programme implementation by the benefiting communities
4. Involvement of at least 4 affiliating organizations of the RCE Greater Yenagoa
Size of academic audience: 
Over 1000 persons directly and several indirectly
Results: 
Three out of the 4 interventions have been completed. The skill acquisition scheme will be completed in November this year.
The two kingdoms are happy that their youths are trained to become useful to themselves and the communities in various aspects including vocational training, post graduate training, enterprise improvement support and active sports engagements making most youths busy and occupied.
The strengths of the programme approach adopted included the following:
i. It is beneficial driven and not a top down approach
ii. It is strategically developed where goals and objectives were agreed and the interventions were generated from the beneficiaries in line with budgetary constraints and bearing in mind the need to make the programme as holistic/integrated as possible. iii. It is broad-based and aimed at addressing more of the stakeholders segments.
In summary we can say that in order to ensure more impactful synergistic outcomes, a multifaceted programmatic approach was adopted to implement this youth development programme.
Lessons learned: 
1. Community willingness to cooperate among themselves
2. Team working is key for the success of this type of programme
3. Enthusiasm on the part of the beneficiaries to make success of the opportunity
Key messages: 
Sustainable development is sure when the communities drive their programme planning and implementation with facilitation by professionals.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
1. Programme supports RCE efforts to financially empower community members.
2. Programme supports community human capacity development.
3. Programme contributes towards a knowledge driven economy and is moving communities away from a dependent population.
4. Programme supports effort to reduce unemployment
5. Programme supports efforts to improve businesses
6. Programme supports youth sports development
Funding: 
100% funding was from Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and her Joint Venture partners.
References and reference materials: 
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
Direct
SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture 
Direct
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Direct
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 
Indirect
SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 
Direct
SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation 
Direct
SDG 10 - Reduce inequality within and among countries 
Indirect
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Indirect
SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 
Direct
SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development 
Indirect
Theme
Traditional Knowledge  
Direct
Agriculture 
Direct
Curriculum Development 
Indirect
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Developing capacities of educators and trainers 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Direct
Update: 
No