On November 30, 2016, Foundation for Youth Development (FYD) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) signed a MoA in connection to a project financed by the Global Environmental Facility-Small Grant Program (GEF-SGP), to be implemented by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on behalf of the three GEF implementing agencies: UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank.

The project in reference being the Reclamation of Oil Spill Degraded Farm Lands Through Sustainable Agroforestry in Etekwuru-Egbema, Abacheke-Egbema and Ugada-Egbema of Ohaji-Egbema LGA, Imo State.

This pilot project which is part of community outreach program of FYD to empower Nigerian youths (women and men) at the community/grassroots level to proactively participate in environmental remediation for sustainable development and poverty alleviation.

In concert with FYD’s international partners with expertise in oil spill clean-up, this project has employed international best practices on soil remediation and utilized waste from local palm oil mills as organic fertilizer for agroforestry practices on reclaimed farm lands and economic tree planting on arable community lands.

While the Abacheke –Egbema and Ugada Egbema Projects of  Ohaji Egbema have been completed successfully with greater impacts on the community in Consistent with the project objective of oil spill regraded land reclamation, FYD and its local project implementation partners at Abacheke-Egbema and Ugada-Egbema has regained vegetation at an oil spill degraded site at Ugada-Egbema, while engaging in community empowerment agro-forestry project in Abacheke-Egbema. The community empowerment component at Abacheke involved banana, plantain and cassava cultivation, with an irrigation system through solar powered borehole.

While at Etekwuru-Egbema FYD had successful engaged project 30 households for 3 acres cassava cultivation during phase I of this project,

1. Economic tree planting (palm trees) at Etekwuru-Egbema started with site clearing and procurement of seedlings. Work was interrupted due to internal community conflict.
2. the oil spill impacted site remediation at Etekwuru has not registered the expected due to a combination of natural disaster (flood at impacted site), and communal Leadership conflict resulting in stoppage of work.

CURRENT STATUS

3. FYD has met with the current Etekwuru – community leadership and is working on resolving the internal community leadership conflicts.
4. After consultations with the new community leadership, a MoU is now under consideration between FYD and Etekwuru-Egbema community to ensure smooth handover of project outcome and a sustainability plan.
5. The community leadership has however called for a community meeting to resolve the conflicts and there after sign the MoU. And return a copy to FYD for continuation of the works .they have also promised to invite FYD for a meeting on November 11, 2020 for signing of the MOU.