ACBF, NILS sign $1m grant

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) said it has invested a total grant of $30million in Nigeria since 2004.

Executive Secretary, ACBF, Emmanuel Nnadozie, a professor, stated this in Abuja on Monday at the signing of $1.1million NILS-CAP II Project Grant Agreement between the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), National Assembly and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF).

The amount, the Foundation said, is for capacity development of lawmakers in the West African sub-region.

Senate President Bukola Saraki, signed the grant on behalf of the National Assembly, while Nnadozie signed on behalf of the Foundation.

According to ACBF Executive Secretary, the grant will enable NILS expand its coverage to Francophone countries and work closely with Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament as well as enable the Institute organise dialogue sessions for policy makers and legislators to deliberate on important national and regional development issues.

Nnadozie commended the Nigerian government for being the largest financial contributor among African member countries in the organisation’s Strategic Plan of 2017 to 2022.

The Foundation, the Executive Secretary disclosed, has supported the training of about 15,000 Nigerian public officials.

“The project for which we are signing the grant agreement today is a regional program that will build capacity of parliamentarians in Nigeria and ECOWAS countries in the areas of financial oversight and governance. It is thus exciting to me that implementation of this project will further enhance the status of NILS as a national institution with regional outlook,” he said.

He reiterated the support of the Foundation to legislatures in Africa and other governance institutions.

In his remarks, Saraki restated the unflinching support and commitment of the leadership of the National Assembly and the NILS Governing Council to the efforts of ACBF in facilitating development in Africa.

He recalled that the first phase of the project, which covered a two-year period from 2014 to 2016, was a national project with a sub-regional outlook.

In her address of welcome, Director General NILS, Ladi Hamalai, a Professor of Development Studies, said the grant would sustain the gains of NILS-CAP I and its wide acceptance among national parliaments of ECOWAS member states.

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja