As part of measures to strengthen relationship with neighbouring communities, Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc (OOPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), a non-profit organization that promotes peace and equitable economic growth in the Niger Delta region.
City Business News reports that the MoU has as its objective the co-creating and facilitating of initiatives that are strategic to OOPC’s neighbouring communities’ social and economic peace and development.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director, OOPC, Dr Graham Hefer said the company, which has its footprint in over 29 communities that cut across Ovia South West, Ovia North East and Uhonmwonde local government areas has for over a decade engaged these communities through the company’s corporate social responsibility programme (CSR) with the aim of attracting visible development in these areas, adding that the involvement of PIND is aimed at cementing the already existing relationships between OOPC and its neighbouring communities especially in the areas of peacebuilding, conflict prevention and resolution, community stabilization, community needs assessments and community based programmes.
According to him, the initiative is designed to foster acceptable and sustainable social impact returns to both the communities and the company in future.
The OOPC boss asserted that the reputation of PIND as a credible NGO was what spurred the company to enter into the agreement, while expressing his optimism that this will benefit all parties involved.
Also speaking, the Programme Director of PIND, Dr Effiong Essien asserted that having had over a decade of experience in the Niger Delta region, the organization sought to partner with OOPC to help strengthen her presence in neighboring communities as well as boosting the economy of the communities through collaborative market based community owned programmes to mitigate conflicts and to help increase economic opportunities within these communities. This is to ensure that economic progress occurred in a systemic, inclusive and sustainable manner.
Dr Essien explained that apart from PIND’s conflict reduction skills, other areas of specialty of the organization include reducing poverty, facilitating alternative clean energy solutions for remote coastal communities that are off the national grid, small holder projects such as oil palm and access to funding, amongst others.
Dr Essien commended the management of OOPC for her massive investment in neighboring communities over the past decade and said with this MoU, the bar on the impact of the company in its neighboring communities had been lifted.
The highpoint of the day was the symbolic signing of the memorandum of understanding between OOPC and PIND signalling the beginning of the partnership for community development under the company’s CSR programme.
Present at the signing of the MoU were OOPC and PIND’S top management teams.
