By Walter Wilson Nana
Eight Governors of the most affected areas in the Lake Chad Basin by the Boko Haram attacks, have adopted key recommendations aimed at restoring hope to the affected population by stabilising the region and setting the foundations for sustainable development.
These recommendations are contained in the final Communiqué of the second Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum for Regional Cooperation on Stabilization, Peace building and Sustainable Development in the region affected by Boko Haram, which took place recently in Niamey,
Niger. One of the high points of the forum was the launch of the Regional Stabilization Facility for Lake Chad, an ambitious multi-million-dollar fund to scale up the range of stabilization interventions in areas of the Lake Chad Basin. In a discourse on the far-reaching impact of the Facility during the opening ceremony of the second Meeting of the Lake Chad Governors’
Forum, UNDP Regional Director for Africa Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa said: “With the Regional Stabilization Facility, we have a unique and time-bound opportunity and a collective obligation to restore hope to affected populations, especially women and youth who have been most
affected by this scourge.”
According to the UNDP Regional Director for Africa this is the moment to respond appropriately to grievances and end the spiral of insecurity, forced displacements and conflict.
She noted that the situation in the Lake Chad Basin can be stabilized, and the foundations of recovery and development established. Hosted by the Government of Niger, the Governors’ Forum was organized by the Lake Chad Basin Commission, LCBC, with technical support from
the African Union, UNDP, Crisis Management Initiative, and financial support from the German Foreign Office. Representing Cameroon at the Forum were the Governors of the Far North Region, Midjiyawa Bakary and the Governor of the North Region, Jean Abate Edi’i, who took the commitment to turn around the aforementioned recommendations and more into reality.