INTRODUCTION
The Feed the Future RRA is a Feed the Future initiative funded by USAID, implemented by Mercy Corps in partnership with Save the Children International and International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC). The goal of the Rural Resilience Activity is to facilitate and protect economic recovery and growth in vulnerable conflict-affected areas and sustainably move people out of chronic vulnerability and poverty via expanded opportunities. The Activity seeks to increase incomes, improve livelihood, and resilience of households through market-led growth in 4 states (Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, and Yobe States) in the Northeast.
The Activity aims to identify potential partners and innovative approaches that leverage USAID resources to develop practical and market-driven solutions to implement innovative business models targeting smallholder farmers, youth, women, and micro-enterprises who have been affected by the protracted conflicts in Northeastern Nigeria.
Layered on the principles of broadened and inclusive growth through agricultural microenterprises competitiveness; the Activity objectives are a) inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth; b) strengthened resilience among people and systems; and c) a well-nourished population, especially women and children, thereby contributing to sustainable reductions in malnutrition and poverty. The Activity partners with economic actors capable of operationalizing a profitable business model that benefits youth whose ability to secure better livelihoods has been compromised by discriminatory norms and the protracted conflict in Northeastern Nigeria. RRA understands that resilience capacities of people have been weakened, constraining economic activities, especially for youth.
The Activity seeks to offer opportunities that will yield beneficial partnerships to enable ease of business access for 8000 women and youth enterprises.
PURPOSE
To identify and fund qualified partners that will develop practical and market-driven solutions to implement innovative business models targeting youth, and women-owned micro-enterprises that have been affected by the protracted conflicts in Northeastern Nigeria, to effectively compete in the global market.
AWEG is a private sector-driven initiative and innovative business model through the human capital building, sustainable industrial-base business development, market access, and financial inclusion to create wealth, reduce poverty and unemployment. It is anchored on five Pillars, namely:
Partnership: Working in collaboration with stakeholders for Economic Advancement and common good
- Advocacy: Speaking for and seeking support for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) growth and sustainability.
- Development: To train, upgrade and coach budding entrepreneurs in Economic Principles and Wealth Creation.
- Promotion: To bridge vital knowledge gap through access to information and campaign initiatives in the bid to assist developing MSMEs.
- Digitalization: To help the digitalization endeavors of small businesses for enhanced economic activities.
OBJECTIVES
The Rural Resilience Activity (RRA) will partner with the National Association of Small-Scale Industries (NASSI) to facilitate the ease of doing business for MSME through access to financial products and services, access to markets, and influencing stringent policies to favor small businesses.
Objective 1: Increased access to business advisory services for 8,000 MSMEs in last mile communities
Objective 2 Formalize 1000 businesses and open corporate accounts.
Objective 3: Leverage as technical members of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to create awareness for 400 MSMEs on opportunities in the African Market. (Open markets for the local and African community), through export workshop/raw material availability and innovative business ideas.
Objective 4: Spearhead negotiations with MSME clinic for discounts on business standardization and step-down clinics to the NorthEast RRA regions through advocacy meetings to the government to domesticate the One Stop Shop.
Objective 5: Facilitate policy dialogues on innovative policies through the National Industrial Business summit (NIBS). The NIBS is a high-level policy statements and dialogues advocacy system for ease of doing business/ Product, research and franchise-based exhibition, and a platform to identify MSME implementing business ideas, through the NIBS challenge/ GIZ presentation on nationwide mapping of policies and validation.
Objective 6: Digital knowledge sharing platform: NASSI Industry newsletter for awareness creation.
- METHODOLOGY
To effectively achieve the goal of shared prosperity and wealth creation, youth and women are the cardinal points of call for the program.
Participants are aggregated into:
- Youth (40%),
- Women (30%), and
- People With Disabilities (PWDs) (30%).
Thus the project will address the needs of Low and Medium Income Earning Households (LMIEHs) with possibility of reaching at least 8,000 beneficiaries across 4 North-Eastern States – Gombe, Borno, Yobe, & Adamawa States.