Photo by RET

Article by Lawel Fatima Bouzou, Communications Officer for RET Niger

Maradi, Niger – On September 24, 2025, the CIGABA Project reached an important milestone with the first ordinary session of its Steering Committee (COPIL) for 2025, held in Maradi at the KARKARA NGO conference room. This meeting brought together local authorities, technical services, community leaders, and implementing partners – ASB, KARKARA, and AB2M, all united by a shared commitment to effective and lasting development.

Chaired by Mr. Abdoul Karim Mahamadou, Secretary General of the Maradi region and COPIL President, the session provided a platform to review progress, set priorities, and strengthen collaboration. Key partners—including RET Germany, ASB, Karkara, and AB2M—were represented, highlighting the consortium’s collective drive to support vulnerable communities in Niger and Nigeria.

A Project of Strategic Importance

CIGABA, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), focuses on improving living conditions and food security for youth and women. Covering the departments of Guidan Roumdji and Madarounfa in Niger and Katsina State in Nigeria, the initiative runs from 2024 to 2028 with a global budget of €9.29 million, of which €5.57 million is allocated to Niger.

Its interventions are anchored around three priorities:

1. Enhancing youth and women’s employability through vocational training and entrepreneurship.
2. Strengthening food security with climate-smart agriculture and sustainable livestock practices.
3. Promoting social cohesion and peaceful coexistence in communities facing displacement and resource pressures.

In total, the project will directly reach 18,000 people—most of them women, refugees, and internally displaced persons—while indirectly benefiting thousands more across the border region.

Photos by RET

Setting the Direction Forward

During the session, participants reviewed achievements to date and discussed programming for the last quarter of 2025. Special attention was given to coordination, monitoring, and defining clear strategies to ensure the sustainability of results.

In her remarks, Murielle Ndikumazambo, Country Director of RET Germany, underscored the importance of good governance, calling for “constructive and action-oriented exchanges” to consolidate achievements and address ongoing challenges. She also highlighted that the project’s long-term success depends on ensuring the sustainability of its results. The session concluded with unanimous approval of both the activity report and the upcoming work plan, reflecting the partners’ confidence and shared commitment to driving lasting change.

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