In Nigeria, many development projects currently being undertaken in the rural communities, often adopt the bottom-top approach in design and execution. This is perhaps in line with the recommendations of some scholars and development experts. And under this arrangement, projects are chosen by the communities or beneficiaries as against imposition of any project on them from the outside.
Similarly, development partners like the World Bank, UNICEF, UNDP and USAID among others, often adopt the bottom-top approach of programme planning and implementation in developing counties like Nigeria. Added to this, is the issue of counterpart funding, which requires that the donor agency and the benefiting country, state or community as the case may be, contribute financially towards the execution of the agreed project.
This development model has been acknowledged as laudable since in the first place, the recipient partners choose the project that is very critical to them as well as make contributions in the execution of the project in order to give them a sense of belonging. This concept makes it possible for communities to see projects sited in their area as their own and, therefore, guard such projects jealously.
In line with this model, Ebonyi State government is currently tackling poverty among the semi-urban and rural communities. This perhaps informed the establishment of Ebonyi State Community and Social Development Agency (EB-CSDA). The agency has remained the arrow head of the administration’s fight against poverty in the rural communities.
It is believed that the key to socio-economic transformation of any society starts with human development. And since a large chunk of the population resides in the rural areas, most governments pay serious attention to the development of the rural areas in order to also check rural-urban migration.
EB-CSDA, a World-Bank assisted agency, has in turn designed a new model called Community-Driven Development (CDD) to presently revolutionise the process of rural development and poverty alleviation in the state.
The agency, headed by a human resources manager and development expert, Dr. Peter Mbam, is assisted by a team of highly trained and motivated crop of experts. The agency usually request expression of interest from communities who are also expected to chose their projects. Such projects include building of market stalls, motorised boreholes, community hospitals, town halls and Rice/Garry processing factories.?
Preceding the execution of any project, the agency usually trains selected community leaders designated as community project management committees (CPMCS), community development officers (CDOs), sub-committees and desk officers in the state. The training is usually part of efforts to build the capacity of the participants to undertake the implementation of their micro-projects as contained in their various communities’ development plans.
Similarly, the agency designs the training in a way that it will equip the participants and communities with requisite knowledge and skills on project implementation, environmental and natural resources management and the importance of community driven development as a new trend in community development. EB-CSDA recently organised a two-day training workshop, for 78 participants from five communities in the three out of 13 local government areas of the state. The participants put together from from Ntezi, Amozanu-Ezillo, Azuinyaba, Eka-Awoke and Ezzaofu communities from Ishielu, Ikwo and Izzi local government areas of the state.
The general manager EB-CSDA, Dr. Peter Mbam, congratulated the participating communities for packaging their Community Development Projects (CDPs) successfully, which he said was why the projects were approved by the agency for funding.
He noted that the communities represent the largest number trained since the beginning of the project and praised them for their good conduct. He appealed to the communities to make the best use of the training in order to execute their micro-projects effectively and efficiently.
Mbam noted that empowerment of community members and poverty reduction is one of the cardinal points of Gov. Martin Elechi’s administration, which according to him,? was why the governor created a separate ministry for it, that of economic empowerment and poverty reduction. He enjoined the project management committees to ensure satisfactory performance of their duties.??
He further stressed that the CDD approach entails a bottom-top approach whereby the communities choose the projects that is important to them, adding that since the communities determine projects of their choice, as well as contribute 10 per cent counterpart funding, they are most likely to protect, maintain and sustain the project as their own.
Currently more than 100 communities across the 13 local government areas of the state are participating in the programme. In an interview with LEADERSHIP, Dr. Mbam had explained that the CDD approach seeks to give local communities and rural/urban communities, the right to be treated as people with capacities, the power to plan, implement and maintain projects to serve their needs; the power to hire, pay and discipline all who provide them with frontline local services, among other rights and powers.
Above all, he said that, CDD makes development more inclusive of the interests of poor people and vulnerable groups as well as build social capital-norms and network that enable collective action.
Dr. Mbam explained that the agency does not allow the money to be used for projects other than the one approved, adding that it also does not support projects that will exceed one year.
He also stressed that defaulting communities would be prosecuted; even as he said that the agency does not accept variation on the projects once the money was released. He advised participating communities to always speed up projects to avoid incurring extra costs by way of variation.
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