Mkpoikana Udoma
The Second Secretary (Political), British High Commission, Abuja, Mr. Hamish Tye, said this when he led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
Tye stated that NDDC had shown commitment to realising sustainable development in the Niger Delta region through partnerships and collaborations with national and international development agencies.
“The attraction to the NDDC now is to explore the possibilities of collaboration. Given the work the NDDC is doing in the Niger Delta region, I believe a lot of partners would support its efforts more broadly. We would further explore partnerships with the NDDC, with a focus on renewable, clean energy and green infrastructure.”
Responding, the Managing Director of NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, told the British delegation that the Commission had made Public-Private Partnership, PPP, the core policy focus to drive the development of the Niger Delta region.
Ogbuku opined that for delegates from the British High Commission in Nigeria to visit NDDC for partnership means the Commission under his leader was making progress.
“Since we assumed office, we have made partnerships our core policy focus. We have visited several embassies and met with development partners and donor agencies.
“Partnerships are one of the major ways to achieve sustainable development in the Niger Delta region and it is important that NDDC, as the driver of development in the region, stays at the forefront of ensuring that the right partnerships are made
“We had the Policy Dialogue with Development Partners in Abuja recently to deepen governance through transparency and value-added partnerships. It focused on how best NDDC, development partners, and the private sector could collaborate and promote greater synergy for enhanced results in the overall development of the region.”