L-R: James Ebube, Business Development Manager, PIND; Dr. Effiong Essien, Programs Director, PIND; Sam Ogbemi Daibo, Executive Director, PIND; Ms. Elsie Attafuah, Resident Representative, UNDP Nigeria; William Tsuma, Head, UNDP Nigeria’s Innovation Centre.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) have formalised a strategic partnership to drive large-scale investment and sustainable development across the Niger Delta.
Under the Integrated Smart States Programme (ISSP), the two organisations will move away from fragmented interventions in favor of an integrated “systems approach.” This framework connects enterprise growth, clean energy, and digital innovation into investment-ready portfolios designed to attract global and domestic capital.
Speaking on the partnership, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, noted: “This collaboration reflects the importance of integrated, multi-sectoral approaches to development. By combining UNDP’s global experience with PIND’s deep regional knowledge, we are strengthening our ability to deliver solutions that are scalable, inclusive, and responsive to local realities, while unlocking pathways for investment and long-term impact.”
Mr. Sam Ogbemi Daibo, Executive Director of PIND, added: “This partnership represents a significant step in strengthening systems that connect economic opportunity, peacebuilding, and resilience. Together with UNDP, we are well-positioned to scale solutions that are locally grounded, investment-ready, and capable of delivering lasting impact across the Niger Delta.”
The MoU provides a framework for ongoing cooperation, enabling both organisations to jointly design, implement, and scale development solutions and programmes, while mobilising partnerships across government, private sector, civil society, and development finance institutions.
It also reinforces the growing importance of strategic partnerships — including philanthropic and private sector actors — in unlocking catalytic investments and accelerating development outcomes at scale. Following the signing, both institutions will advance a three-year joint programme document and financing framework, activation of a Joint Technical Working Group, identification of initial investment-ready programme pipelines to shape a drive for strategic partnerships and investment mobilisation for the Niger Delta.
The partnership is expected to evolve into a multi-state, multi-partner platform, contributing to Nigeria’s efforts to drive inclusive growth, strengthen resilience, and advance sustainable development across the Niger Delta.
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