The European Union (EU) on Tuesday officially closed out the Agents for Citizen-driven Transformation (ACT) Programme.
The ACT programme, which ran for five years (2019 to 2024), built the organisational and operational capacities of over 200 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and networks to be credible and effective drivers of change for sustainable development in Nigeria.
Also, 15 toolkits were developed to help CSOs become effective drivers of change.
These toolkits include advocacy strategy, risk assessment and management, developing conflict of interest policy, effective governance, fundraising strategy, and gender and social inclusion.
Others are legal entity and constitution, logframe development, management and leadership roles, project cycle management, proposal writing, safeguarding policy, and strategic planning.
Implemented by the British Council, the EU-funded programme covered 10 states selected across six geopolitical zones, including Adamawa, Borno, Edo, Enugu, FCT, Kano, Lagos, Plateau, Rivers, and Sokoto.
Furthermore, the ACT programme focused on strengthening the system of CSOs, networks, and coalitions to improve their internal, external, and programmatic capabilities.
It also focused on providing a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue for an improved, efficient, and inclusive regulatory environment for the operation of CSOs in Nigeria.
Speaking during the ACT Programme closure in Abuja, the Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Nigeria, Massimo De Luca, stated that the programme, aside from supporting the development of a self-regulatory framework for CSOs, has also been at the forefront of advocacy efforts to ensure that the operational environment remains favourable for civil society operations.
The event was also a platform to reflect on results and lessons learnt during the duration of the ACT Programmes across the focus states.
De Luca said, “The EU-ACT programme was launched in April 2019 after a rigorous six-month inception phase (from July to December 2018).
The programme was designed to build on the strength and vibrancy of the Nigerian civil society sector and address inherent gaps that existed at the time.
“EU-ACT’s two result areas sought to strengthen selected CSOs, networks, and coalitions working in EU focal sectors and support an appropriate and efficient civil society regulatory framework.
“In the 5 years of programme implementation, the programme has trained over 200 civil society organisations and networks, providing them with rigorous coaching and mentoring to support them put into practice lessons learned.
“Also, 151 grants have been given to civil society organisations and 15 toolkits developed and made available for use by Civil Society Organisations.”
He disclosed that from 2020 to date, EU-ACT has engaged the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Economic and Fiscal Crimes Commission (EFCC) to mention a few, and supported dialogues between federal and state government agencies and the civil society sector.
“On Friday 15th and Saturday 16th March, EU-ACT provided training to Senators and members of the Federal House of Representatives to better understand the civil society sector and sustain collaboration with the sector.
“Through efforts spearheaded by the EU-ACT programme, the 10th National Assembly (NASS) has committed to re-establishing the CSO liaison desk within the National Assembly to aid engagement between the NASS and CSOs,” he said.
The Head of Cooperation stressed that although the ACT programme has ended, the EU will continue to engage with CSOs, especially regarding its focus areas, including peace, governance, health, education, agriculture, green jobs and climate change
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