PEACE BUILDING & IMPACT INVESTMENT INTIATIVE (PII)

In 2023, PIND introduced the ‘Peace building and Impact Investment Initiative (PII)’. This initiative was launched with the aim of augmenting PIND’s ongoing business development strategies and ensuring the sustainability of the organization’s outcomes. The primary focus of PII is to incorporate peace outcomes into the design of PIND’s ‘Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)’ for impact investment.

This aligns with PIND’s efforts to strengthen the synergy between economic development and peacebuilding. In collaboration with key partners, PIND has initiated baseline research and is considering the feasibility of a fellowship program that will partner with local and international universities and enhance the capabilities crucial for these pioneering efforts.

In September 2023, the Fund for Peace (FFP) initiated baseline peace and conflict research for PIND. This research included an extensive desk review, stakeholder interviews, and a knowledge exchange session with experts.

These activities have been pivotal in expanding PIND’s understanding and developing strategies to quantify better and leverage peace impact for increasing the attractiveness of investments and fostering peace-positive investments in the Niger Delta. Subsequently, in partnership with FFP and Bechtel Corporation, we launched the inaugural session of our ‘Peer Assist Series’. This event played a crucial role in validating the preliminary research findings, creating innovative solutions for identified challenges, and fostering partnerships to incorporate effective methodologies into the SPV strategy. These endeavors were validated by supplementary impact evaluation studies by 3rd party DAI, which affirm PIND’s substantial contribution to reducing regional conflicts in the Niger Delta. Through these initiatives, we aim to foster sustainable development in the region and establish a replicable model for similar endeavors in other conflictprone and resource-rich areas.