Oxfam in Nigeria

03/06/2026

A 70-year feud over borders has finally ended. What happens when two communities stop drawing lines and start building roads?

In Volume 2 of the Built From Within series, we document how Wawa and Kubuku wards in Borno State dissolved decades of conflict through joint Community Development Planning. They restored vital trade routes and mobilized over NGN 200,000 locally to fund their own recovery.

Every single naira was invested into valley road repairs, clean water access, and school supplies. This is what sustainable, locally led development looks like in action.

This initiative is funded by Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and co funded by the European Union in Nigeria

Read the full story and explore the interactive data maps at the link: https://nigeria.oxfam.org/latest/blogs/bridging-divide-how-two-borno-communities-ended-70-year-conflict

03/06/2026

01/06/2026

Can NGN 45,000 worth of community investment create a sustainable public health business?

Yes. In Peta Ward, Borno State, the Ward Development Support Committee proved it. Rather than waiting on external support to fix a dilapidated market sanitation and hygiene facility, they contributed their own resources.

The result? The rehabilitated facility now generates an average of NGN 10,000 weekly through NGN 100 usage fee. This revenue pays a facility manager, covers running costs, and funds a communal savings account for future grassroots projects.

We documented this incredible model of economic sustainability in Volume 1 of Built From Within. Read the full case study here: https://nigeria.oxfam.org/latest/blogs/taking-ownership-how-borno-state-community-funded-its-own-future-through-local-agency



Photo: Maxwell Osarenkhoe/Oxfam

27/05/2026

Eid Mubarak to you and your loved ones!

This Eid Al Adha, we are reminded of the true essence of sacrifice, gratitude, and the incredible strength found in community. It is a time to share what we have, reflect on our blessings, and stand in solidarity with those navigating difficult times.

May this special day bring happiness to your homes and inspire all of us to keep working toward a fairer, more equitable society for everyone.

Enjoy the celebrations!

26/05/2026

When a school in Borno State saw its staffing drop to just four teachers for 500 students, the community did not wait for a rescue. They took ownership.

Today, we kick off our new series, Built From Within: The Social Cohesion Case Studies, highlighting how communities in North-East Nigeria are funding their own future. In Volume 1, we travel to Peta Ward, Kwaya Kusar where 18 qualified graduates stepped forward as volunteer teachers to revive their local classrooms.

But the local agency didn't stop at education. The Ward Development Support Committee also bypassed the wait for external grants, pooling NGN 45,000 from their own pockets to rehabilitate a dilapidated IFAD WASH facility at the local market, turning a health hazard into a self-sustaining local enterprise.

This is what sustainable, community-led development looks like in action.

Oxfam is proud to be documenting this alongside our National partners Development and Reproductive Health Initiative (Coderhi), Yaharakari Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation (Ywyef Officials), and Crudan HQ, with funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)) and the European Union in Nigeria.



Photo: Maxwell Osarenkhoe/Oxfam

22/05/2026

Who truly speaks for the marginalized in Nigeria's oil-producing regions?

Recently, we gathered with traditional leaders, women's associations, and youth networks in Eket to confront a 25-year-old injustice. For a quarter of a century, community members have completed environmental hazard forms, waiting for compensation that never arrives.

Meanwhile, their rivers are polluted, and their farmlands are destroyed. The opacity surrounding the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) funds is denying these communities the development they are legally owed.

We are demanding a complete overhaul of how these trusts are managed. The people's resolutions are clear:
- We need independent project monitoring groups.
- Women, youths, and persons with disabilities must hold 40% of the seats on the HCDT boards.
- Settlors must face penalties for the mismanagement of funds.

Stand with the Niger Delta. Click the link in the comment to read the full resolution.



Photo: Maxwell Osarenkhoe/Oxfam

21/05/2026

Building Local Ownership for Lasting Impact: The EU-SOSAN Project Team Visits Gwandu Emirate Council

Ongoing stakeholder engagement and deep community entry are at the heart of sustainable development. On May 15, the EU-SOSAN Project Team, led by our Consortium Manager, paid a strategic courtesy visit to the prestigious Gwandu Emirate Council in Birnin Kebbi.

The visit served as a vital step in preparing communities for upcoming milestones, including ward-level engagements across Kebbi State.

Representing the Emir of Gwandu, the Magajin Gwandu warmly received the delegation, extending royal blessings and describing the project as a welcome development for the people of the state.

Through the "Strengthening Social Protection Systems for Inclusive, Gender-Transformative, and Climate-Smart Safety Nets" initiative, funded by the European Union in Nigeria, we are working alongside our partners, Solidarités International, Jireh Doo Foundation, and@Aswhan Kebbi to bridge immediate grassroots relief with robust governance infrastructure.

By aligning international resources with the invaluable guidance of traditional leadership, we are ensuring true community ownership and building systems that outlast the project timeline.

18/05/2026

We have built systems for almost everyone, yet somehow, the boy child still ends up outside of them.

This Tuesday by 2pm join us LIVE on X Space to discuss the protection, welfare, and future of the boy child in Nigeria.

Link: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1dKrPEjdXQwJX

01/05/2026

On this Workers’ Day, we celebrate workers everywhere.

But here is the reality: Our new analysis reveals a worker would need 490 years to match one CEO salary.

The gap isn’t just unfair, it is unsustainable — We deserve better.

27/04/2026

Last Thursday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, the Fair Finance Nigeria (FFNG) Coalition drew a line in the sand: .

We officially launched our first-ever ESG Policy Assessment, and the data is unarguable. Nigeria’s leading commercial banks are falling drastically short of global sustainability standards, sitting at a critically low baseline average of 1.7 out of 10.

With a definitive 0.0 in Tax Transparency and a 0.9 in Climate Action, our financial institutions are prioritizing "tick-box" compliance over genuine corporate accountability. They are hiding behind the painfully outdated 2012 Nigerian Sustainability Banking Principles (NSBP).

The media turned out in full force to hear our demands for a multi-stakeholder roundtable to overhaul these frameworks.

Download the policy assessement: https://nigeria.oxfam.org/latest/publications/first-ever-esg-policy-assessment-reveals-nigerian-banks-average-1710-global

Catch up on the national coverage from our launch and join the call for accountability:

- The Nation Newspaper: https://thenationonlineng.net/coalition-urges-reform-of-esg-frameworks-in-line-with-global-best-practices/

- The Guardian News: https://guardian.ng/news/coalition-indicts-banking-sector-for-weak-sustainability-initiatives/

- News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): https://nannews.ng/governance-3/



Photo: Stephen Akinfala/CODE