New Nigeria Foundation conducted a needs assessment in Dangote Cement Plc (DCP) communities in Obajana (Kogi State), Ibese (Ogun State), Gboko (Benue State) and Okpella (Edo State). Dangote Cement Plc (DCP) supports its host communities by providing funds for roads, water, and healthcare projects. The needs assessment exercise aims to ensure that the community needs are understood in context, emphasizing community capacities to understand and respond to gaps in service delivery in a self-help and sustainable manner and manage the change required to sustain the functionality of community support systems.
NNF adopted a participatory approach to achieve the objectives of the project. The Foundation is appreciative of the support of the leadership of the various communities and representatives of the different stakeholder groups in the communities who participated in the process by providing the required information and owning the process. Participants used relevant tools and diligently followed needs assessment procedures to come up with insightful futuristic views of their communities and community development plans. Through the exercise, all communities now own self-made referable social investment plans and detailed reports showing local economic opportunities available in the communities. These materials are available for funders and other interventionist agencies interested in supporting Nigeria’s mining communities.
