The Bridges Project: Effective Implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA)

The Bridges Project is a collaborative intervention by The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) and the Ford Foundation to effectively implement Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act 2021(PIA).
The main goal of this project is to support and complement the regulatory proposals of the PIA while ensuring the participation of all stakeholders, particularly the communities affected by the petroleum industry. By fostering inclusivity and equity, the Bridges Project aims to ensure a successful implementation of the PIA. The project activities include; Operationalising the HCDTs through Capacity Building Workshops for NGOs and CSOs, Awareness Creation for Key Stakeholders, and setting up and coordinating a Multiple stakeholder platform (MSP) to help craft an effective and efficient community development model.
This project is domiciled in five Niger Delta states, including; Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Ondo, and Rivers State.
The three key processes of this Project are;
- Capacity Building of NGOs, during which PIND trained thirty (30) NGOs within the CNL and other settlor’s operational areas in the past months.
- An Awareness Creation session has also just been held in Bayelsa state, and planning to implement other sessions in Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Ondo states for 100 participants in each state.
- The third major component of this project would be the establishment of a Multi-stakeholders Platform that the HCDTs would drive alongside other critical stakeholders of the PIA to allow for discussions and the implementations of Community Development plans for sustainable development within the affected Niger Delta states.