OXFAM NOVIB CASE STUDY

NOVEMBER 2016

Photo by: Mirjam van den Berg/Oxfam Novib

PEACE AND STABILITY - NIGER

Support to peace and security through youth employment
For several decades Niger country has been facing recurrent armed
conflicts and crises including insurrectionary type which negatively
impacts its development by potentially threaten its security and stability.
To contribute to the stabilization of some regions in Niger, Oxfam initiated
a project to increase access of populations, particularly youth and women
to economic opportunities in targeted areas through the development of
agro-forestry-pastoral potentialities, diversification of economic activities
and strengthening mechanisms and tools for preventing and managing
crises and social conflicts.
One major lesson learned in this project was the importance of
community early warning systems. They can play a key role in the
stability of an area by monitoring the occurrence of conflicts.

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BREAKING THE VICIOUS

CIRCLE OF POVERTY
Since 1980, Niger has experienced major socio-economic difficulties with
the considerable reduction of the price of uranium and the succession of
agricultural deficits and situations of instability marked by the armed
rebellion in the north, the military power change and inter-communities
conflicts related to the control of access to natural resources and their
governance. Actually, the country is more than ever facing phenomena
that intensify and threaten its stability and social cohesion.
External threats, like Conflict in Libya and northern Mali and terrorist
activities in northern Nigeria, risk to undermine the delicate balance and
peace because these threats can be amplified by the inevitable
frustrations of a generally difficult social situation, a democratic process
still largely inclusive and the employment problem for youth and women,
who are largely uneducated or with little level of education, who face a
life with few prospects.
Internally, the deficits of agro pastoral production amplified by climatic
conditions are increasingly becoming food, nutritional and pastoral
recurrent crises (three major crises in less than a decade) that undermine
more the livelihoods of communities and strike first the most vulnerable,
including women and youth.
The types of agricultural and pastoral production ways are poorly suited,
and pastors, in particular, are facing little access to pasture.
Conflicts between farmers and herders, who have always existed, can
exacerbate in a situation of structural crisis. The degradation of water
and soil resources contributes to the low productivity of agriculture and
livestock and increasing the potential of conflict. At the same time, youth
is not interested in agriculture or livestock and ignore possible
alternatives in these sectors.
This corollary obstacle to development results in the deterioration of
living conditions of the population in general and young women in
particular.
Which can lead youth, by the lack of economic opportunities to adopt
negative coping strategies for themselves and for the whole community
as local and regional exodus in emergency situations especially, or as
extreme banditry (armed robbery, robbery), and integrating armed groups
(rebels, fundamentalists, drug traffickers ..) and traffickers.
Representing over 60% of the workforce, the Nigerien youth which
experiencing a multidimensional crisis characterized by unemployment,
under-employment, illiteracy, migration, violence, is the main target group
for peace stabilization and the revival of the national economy; as well as
women, though representing more than 50% of the population, they are
systematically marginalized in all areas: access to productive resources,
employment, health, education.
The official unemployment rate is about 16% and the most affected
groups are women (25% against about 12% for men) and youth with
more than 24% in the age group between15-29 are unemployed.

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In Niger, poverty is mainly rural and mostly women. Figures are

illustrative: nearly 2 out of 3 Nigeriens are poor; more than 4 out of 5
poors live in rural areas. But the figures also show growth of urban areas
of extreme poverty and the last two government surveys on vulnerability
to food insecurity from 2011 and 2012 show an increase of urban
vulnerability.
Thats why Oxfam initiated a project to create opportunities for youth and
women, particularly in rural areas, by facilitating their access to economic
resources and opportunities, and by interrupting the vicious cycle that
contributes to chronic poverty and making them particularly vulnerable to
conflict both actively and passively.

THE PROJECT
The overall aim of the project was to contribute to peace consolidation
and improvement of social and economic stability in the northern,
northwest and southeast regions of Niger. More specifically, it aimed to
"Increase access of populations, particularly youth and women to
economic opportunities in targeted areas through the development of
agro-forestry-pastoral potentialities, diversification of economic activities
and strengthening mechanisms and tools for preventing and managing
crises and social conflicts".
The support that this initiative was giving to youth and women was both
direct and indirect. Direct support was achieved through the Cash for
Work (CFW) for the restoration of productive potentials, community
infrastructure and sanitation in urban centers, but also through the
professionalization of youth and women in the management of microagro-forestry-pastoral and non-farm businesses.
On the other hand the intervention also aimed at giving indirect support,
through the development and consolidation of a framework for social
dialogue on the prevention and management of conflicts, in order to
reinforce and renew traditional resolution mechanisms which do not
ensure equitable access for all involved people, young and women
included, to natural resources and basic social services.
Finally, to contribute to reducing the risks related to exploitation of
resources, the intervention included the completion of the establishment
of early warning systems in all targeted communities as stated in the
order No. 00206 / PM of 2 August 2012 on the creation, powers,
organization and functioning of the CC / SAP / PC which confirms in
Articles 6, 7 and 8, the decision of the country to continue implementing
and coordinating the activities of these institution at the decentralized
level (OSV, SCAP / RU).
From a strategic point of view, the implementation of this project was
made on 2 principles of intervention:

for the Agadez region, the OXFAM sub office in Agadez assured
implementation directly;
for Tahoua, Tillabery and Zinder regions Oxfam worked with its strategic and operational partners namely AREN (Tillabery and Zinder)
and ADKOUL (Tahoua);
The beneficiaries of this project are the youth and women from 18
municipalities: Agadez (1), Tahoua (5), Tillabery (5) and Zinder (7).

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Amadou Oumarou CSI

Chief Dan Mark 1, rural
town of Sanam,
Tillabery region. says:
"I am delighted with this
achievement we have
long awaited. Indeed
the close of the center
has allowed us to
control our material and
put order in the visits.
Machines and Animals
are held outside the
center, a situation
favorable to the quality
of service"

Thus, the opportunity for beneficiaries in terms of access to income

through CFW and IGA has been a considerable and significant
contribution in strengthening the livelihoods of target populations. Indeed,
it emerged from the discussions made with the administrative and
traditional authorities and beneficiaries that actions have been very
beneficial to people in 18 municipalities intervention in economic and
social terms. The communitys mechanism comes to reinforce the social
aspect of the intervention.

RESULTS
Through this project, Oxfam contributed to restoring a climate of lasting
peace through the reduction of small criminality in the project area.
Indeed, the various forums organized on peace and social stability, have
raised awareness among all actors in the field of peace and social
stability. The topics discussed, focused on security issues, internalization
of texts regulating the movement of livestock and the right of access to
pasture, the management and prevention of conflicts over access to
shared resources for peaceful coexistence between transhumant and
sedentary at the beginning and the end of the rainy season, as well as
the challenges of social integration of young people. At the end of the
holding of the forums, commitments have been made by municipal and
community leaders to maintain a lasting peace even after the project.
The second added value in the lives of beneficiaries is the creation of job
opportunity that has greatly improved the incomes and livelihoods of
target communities. What has therefore promoted a significant economic
recovery in the intervention area through funding from IGA and CFW.
The main activities realized were:

The cash for work (as labor-based activities) for restoring the production potential, and the reconstruction of community infrastructures.
And the funding of micro projects for income generating activities
(IGA).
These activities covered 10 050 youth and women including 6
426 women (64% of beneficiaries) out of 1 093 125 residents of
the 18 municipalities. During these 2 activities around 808 938
965 FCFA has been spent which is around 80 491 FCFA average
income by individual.

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Safia Maman, town of

Kufra, municipality of
Abala, Tillabery region:
"I was excluded from
secondary school when
I was in my third year. I
had lost all hope for a
second chance to get
my certificate due to
the lack of financial
means. Today, the
CFW activities
conducted in our
village with the support
of AREN, allows me to
pay for my private
course and continue to
study. I hope that this
opportunity which was
offered to me be the
key to my success in
life. "

Land restoration village site Ilataghda, rural

Land restoration village site Ilataghda, rural town

town of Kao after mechanical work - NGO

of Kao revegetated 2014 NGO Adkoul Tahoua

Adkoul Tahoua

It also resulted in funding for 241 micro projects (high labor intensity)
which consisted in achieving land restoration, rehabilitation/construction
of community infrastructures or safety of towns and villages. These cash
for work activities covered 6,821 people, including 3,678 women (53.92%
women from the 18 towns of area of intervention). This temporary
employment (75 working days) helped to provide economic income 618
480 800 FCFA for an average individual income of 90,673 FCFA.
In addition, funding for 676 IGAs micro projects from young people and
women into the framework for their professionalism in the management
of micro-enterprises agro-forestry-pastoral and non-farm, for a total
amount of 190 458 165 FCFA to finance individual or common micro
projects of 3.229 beneficiaries including 2.747 women (85.07%).

Distribution IGAs beneficiaries of Agadez

Distribution IGAs women in Agadez

The project also led to strengthened mechanism on prevention and

management of risks of conflicts and peace destabilization especially in
pastoral and agro-pastoral areas through the 15 vulnerability monitoring
observatories (VMO) and 70 community early warning systems and
emergency response (EWS&ER).
The forums of stakeholders on the prevention and management of rural
conflicts held in the various municipalities have mobilized exactly 465
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Zeinaba Issoufa
gagawa promoter of
small business, Zinder:
"I could make a saving
up (purchase animals)
to manage the possible
risk on my small
business. I found
something that makes
me important in the
society. Currently I
have become an
example for my friends
who have no
occupation. "

participants, including 15% of women of various sensitivities

(administrative, customary, youth representatives, women, local technical
services of state and others structures in the area). These forums have
helped guide the participants on the role of different actors of change in
the promotion of peace and stability, the various national laws on the
prevention and management conflict, and the conditions better operability
and synergy of different existing frameworks for consultation.
The establishment and training of 15 municipal committees for analysis
and approval IGAs and HIMO. These committees consisting on average
of 8 members each (2 representatives of youth and women, 2 technical
services representative, one representative of traditional chiefs, two
representatives of the municipal council and 1 representative of the
project) are chaired by the respective municipalities mayors. Sessions
analysis and micro project dossiers IGAs and HIMO selected by the
municipal committees which were held under the supervision of the
project team.

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 Oxfam Novib November 2016

This case study was written by Abdou Moussa Mounkaila.
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The information in this publication is correct at the time of going to press.
Published by Oxfam Novib in November 2016.
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