Diamond Development Initiatives (DDI) invites applications for nine (9) positions in order to implement its component of the USAID Rural Resilience Activity (The Activity). The Activity seeks to increase smallholder household incomes and reduce poverty in North Eastern Nigeria through their improved participation in inclusive agribusiness value chains and market opportunities. The overall objective is to offer opportunities that will yield partnerships to at least 50,000

With your support, collaboration and partnership in 2021…

–       DDI provided agricultural value chain development and commodity market access support for several CBOs (cooperatives/producer groups) across the country.

–       Several training organizations participated in an employability enhancement project, as many young Lagos residents were supported to graduate from a training programme that enhanced their employability while many were placed in paid post-training employment.

• The Federal Government says it will soon establish plant health clinics across Nigeria’s 6 geopolitical zones. A plant health clinic is an avenue for farmers to get information from agricultural specialists on how best to ensure that crops are in the best state of health. Click the link to be armed with this information –https://bit.ly/3oHne0D

According to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Nigeria has the highest number of women entrepreneurs in the world. There are over 41 million Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and women constitute 40 per cent of this number. This high level of women’s participation in entrepreneurship has been found out to be necessity-driven, and as they say, “necessity is the mother of invention”.

Today is International Day for Eradication of Poverty. This year’s theme is: Building forward together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and our Planet. According to UNESCO’s Director-General, the fight against poverty should essentially take a multi-pronged approach that addresses not only poverty but also its causes and consequences, in all its complexity. According to UNESCO’s DG, poverty is not only a lack of financial resources, it also signals a lack of opportunities.

With the theme: “Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All”, this year’s International Day of Rural Women is highlighting the crucial role and contribution of rural women and girls, in “enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.”

Today is Energy Efficiency Day 2021 (#EED2021). Commemorated on the first Wednesday in October, it is a collaborative effort of dozens of energy efficiency advocacy groups around the world to recognize and celebrate the multiple benefits of energy efficiency. As we share tips, tools and stories that promote the multiple benefits of energy efficiency, from lower costs to healthier homes, the story of Mama Audu readily comes to mind. Mama Audu is a 32-year-old mother of five who resides in Kaduna, North-Western Nigeria. She grew up cooking on a three-stone inefficient stove.