2021 Landscape

PIND's work and results in 2021 were met with various economic, political, security, and social factors throughout Nigeria--from local to national, positive and negative.

ECONOMIC

-Stimulus measures and the reopening of borders by the Federal Government of Nigeria

-Reduced federal resource allocation to States due to fluctuating revenue and rising debt

-Highly muted spending on productive activities and capital projects by the region’s State Governments

-Restricted movement of goods and services in the South East due to Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) stay-at-home order

-Slow economic recovery from the COVID-19 impact and rising unemployment

-The rise in agricultural inputs, technologies, and production costs caused by persistent inflation

-Reduced purchasing power and shrunk profit margins for smallholder farmers and businesses arising from the high inflation rate (17.25%)

-The lower average number of farming cycles and slower technology adoption in the aquaculture, agriculture, and poultry value chains

-Tax burdens adversely affecting micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) growth

-Investors’ disinterest in renewable energy solutions in under-served coastal communities due to slow return on investment

POLITICAL

-Renewed interest in regional cooperation and collective development agenda by South/South State governments signaled by the revival of the moribund BRACED Commission

-More politicking and reduced governance as Nigeria's 2023 general elections draw nearer

SECURITY

-Increase in lethal violence, driven by the outbreak of additional security issues, and the emergence of new conflict actors (See: Annual Niger Delta Conflict Report 2021 at https://pindfoundation.org/niger-delta-annual-conflict-report-january-december-2021/)

-Increase in criminality and separatist agitation by 87% and 573% respectively in 2021 compared to 2020 - more than 800 and 140 fatalities. (Read: Annual Niger Delta Conflict Report 2021 at https://pindfoundation.org/niger-delta-annual-conflict-report-january-december-2021/)

-Passage of anti-open grazing laws by seven (7) states in the region due to persistent herders-farmers clash

SOCIAL

-Passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) for good governance, best practices, and ease of doing business in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria

-Lack of access to arable farmlands for smallholder farmers (SHFs) who are critical to Nigeria's economy and food security

-Prevailing social norms of husbands preventing wives from participating in capacity building and income-generating opportunities