FINAL REPORT ON THE SUPPORT TO THE PREPARATION OF THE NEDC’S NORTH EAST STABILIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN PRESENTED TO NORTH EAST DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (NEDC) & BY ZARA GONI TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS BAY - Borno, Adamawa and Yobe BTS - Base Transceiver Stations CBN - Central Bank of Nigeria CBOs - Community Based Organizations CPF - Country Partnership Framework CVE - Countering Violent Extremism DDR - Disarmament, Demobilization and Reconciliation EU - European Union GES - Growth Enhancement Scheme HCT - Humanitarian Country Team ICT - Information Communication Technology IDPs - Internally Displaced Persons IEDs - Improvised Explosive Devices INGOs - International Non-Governmental Organizations IPCR - Institute for Peace and Conflict Research LCBC - Lake Chad Basin Commission LGA - Local Government Area MDAs - Ministries, Departments and Agencies NDE - Nigerian Directorate of Employment NE - North East NEDC - North East Development Commission NEET - North East Economic Transformation NEITI - Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative NEMA - National Emergency Management Agency NEPC - Nigerian Export Promotion Council NESTS - North East States Transformation Strategy NGOs - Non-Governmental Organizations NSAGs - Non-State Armed Groups ONSA - Office of the National Security Adviser PCNI - Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative PINE - Presidential Initiative for the North East PSC - Peace and Security Council RPBA - Recovery and Peace Building Assessment RSF - Regional Stabilization Facility RSS - REGIONAL STABILIZATION STRATEGY SEMAs - State Emergency Management Agencies SGBV - Sexual and Gender Based Violence SMEs - Small and Medium Enterprises UNDP - United Nations Development Programme UXO - Unexploded Ordnance VSF - Victims Support Fund Page 1 of 14 INTRODUCTION President Mohammadu Buhari added more impetus to the comprehensive response to the Boko Haram insurgency's exceptional devastation of the North East by signing the North East Development Commission (NEDC) Bill into law in February 2020. This thrust firmly established the North East Development Commission (NEDC) as a focal organization charged with the responsibility of, inter alia, assessing, coordinating, harmonizing, and reporting on all intervention programs and initiatives by the Federal Government, States, and other Development Partners, as well as the implementation of all programs and initiatives for the North East states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe., North East is one of the geopolitical zones of Nigeria, consists of the states Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe Taraba and Yobe. It occupies slightly less than one-third of Nigeria's total area and had a projected population for 2011 of 23,558,674 or 13.5% of the country's population. There are more than 100 indigenous ethnic groups comprising the Kanuris, Shuwa, Fulani, Lunguda, Bachama etc. Because of the perennial social crisis occasioned by insurrections that has been sustained by armed militia groups and non-state actors since 2007, an estimated 53 per cent of the total population of 13.4 million people required humanitarian assistance in 2019. About 13 per cent of the total population are IDPs representing a quarter of the people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2019. At the height of the conflict in 2009, Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs) targeted all six states in the north-east region, with Borno becoming the worst-affected State and epicenter of the humanitarian crisis. Recent statistics show that crisis which is classified as one of the most severe protection crises in the world has recorded 14,3001 civilian’s casualties since 2009. This is added to the growing cases of malnutrition, food insecurity, displacements, and dire conditions including over-congestion and severe shortages of shelters across camps and communities hosting 2000 formal and other forms of habitations for Internally Displaced Person’s camps (IDPs) across the state. Overview of the North-East States Adamawa: Adamawa has been directly impacted by the Boko Haram crisis, both in terms of attacks and displacement. The impact on infrastructure and social services has been significant (US$ 829 million), representing nine percent of the total damages in the six North-East states. Agriculture has been particularly hard hit (55 percent of total damages). The conflict has also resulted in 136,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), 94 percent of whom live in host communities. The influx has put significant strain on the state economy, service delivery, and the social fabric. As a state directly impacted by conflict and displacement, it is important to note that basic humanitarian needs for the safe and voluntary return and resettlement of displaced persons, such as housing, service delivery, and livelihood is an important component towards achieving restitution of the social tissue, reconciliation, and peace building, restoration of a sense of normalcy and needs of particularly vulnerable sub-groups of IDPs. Creating jobs and opportunities to earn a decent living is a critical step to ensure stability, reduce volatility, and protect the social sense of belonging, particularly for members of the affected communities and vulnerable youth. Based on the guiding principles laid out in the overall Strategic Recovery and Peace Building Framework, needs have been identified in the three main areas of intervention: (i) peace building, stability, and social cohesion, (ii) infrastructure and social services, and (iii) economic recovery, totaling US$ 660 million for Adamawa. Bauchi: Agriculture is the mainstay of Bauchi’s economy. About 80 percent of the inhabitants in the region engage in the production of food and cash crops, but on small-scale basis. The major crops produced in the state are Cotton, Maize, Groundnuts, Millet, Guinea Corn, Rice, Page 2 of 14 Beans, Sesame Seeds, and Gum Arabic. The state also has deposits of mineral resources, including cassiterite limestone, kaolin, gypsum, antimony, iron ore, gold, marble, columbine, and zinc, but mining activities have also been conducted at small scales. In 2010, the World Bank rated Bauchi State as the 10th best place to do business and the 21st best place to start a business, among all 36 states of Nigeria. The recovery and peace building process requires a holistic approach that promotes peace, stability, and social cohesion by addressing the rehabilitation of infrastructure and social services while confronting underlying macroeconomic issues to overcome the nexus of instability, conflict, and deteriorating development. Based on the guiding principles laid out in the overall Strategic Recovery and Peace Building Framework, needs have been identified in the three main areas of intervention: (i) peace building, stability, and social cohesion, (ii) infrastructure and social services (iii) economic recovery, totaling US$ 268 million for Bauchi Borno: Borno State, created in 1976, is located in the North-Eastern corner of Nigeria, bordering Niger, Chad, and Northern Cameroon. Its location and proximity to Lake Chad puts Borno at an important crossroad for trade with neighboring countries and other parts of Nigeria. The economy is largely agrarian, with livestock husbandry, irrigated agriculture, and fishing on Lake Chad dominating the economic activities of the population. Industry is still developing in Borno, which accounts for less than one percent of Nigeria’s national industrial output. Borno has without question been the state most affected by the conflict. Three quarters of the damages recorded by the assessment were found in Borno (US$ 6.9 billion), while nearly two-thirds of the needs come from the state that has been the epicenter of the crisis (US$ 3.9 billion). Based on the guiding principles laid out in the overall Strategic Recovery and Peace Building Framework, needs have been identified in the three main areas of intervention: (i) peace building, stability, and social cohesion, (ii) infrastructure and social services; and (iii) economic recovery, totaling more than US$ 4 billion for Borno. Gombe: Gombe State was created from the former Bauchi State on 1 October 1996. Covering a land area of 20,265 square kilometres, it is the smallest among the six North-East states. Gombe is predominantly rural with several towns and small urban areas, the most important of which is Gombe, the state capital, which serves as the state’s trading and commercial centre. Gombe is divided into 11 LGAs. Agriculture is the major sector of the economy with crop production and livestock contributing to 65 percent of the total state GDP in 2008.6 About 80 percent of the total population are peasant farmers involved in the cultivation of food and cash crops, such as millet, sorghum, maize, vegetable, cotton, and groundnut, with or without irrigation. Gombe State also has deposits of solid minerals, including limestone, gypsum, kaolin, silica, talc, uranium and dolomite, but the mining industry contributes relatively little to economic output. The private sector lacks diversification and is among the development challenges faced by Gombe State. It is dominated by informal sector activities such as petty trading, transportation, local arts and crafts, subsistence farming, and small-scale animal production. Based on the guiding principles laid out in the overall Strategic Recovery and Peace Building Framework, needs have been identified in the three main areas of intervention: (i) peace building, stability, and social cohesion, (ii) infrastructure and social services; and (iii) economic recovery, totaling nearly US$ 165 million for Gombe. Taraba: Taraba State, with Jalingo as its capital, lies largely within the middle of Nigeria on the Mabilla Plateau. With a landmass of 56,300 square kilometers (21,737 square miles), which represents 6.2 percent of Nigeria’s total land area, Taraba is the third largest state in Nigeria and the second largest in the North-East region. It is a largely agricultural state, but also serves as a connector between other states. Prior to the insurgency, Taraba had a population of 2,294,800 as Page 3 of 14 per the 2006 census. In 2010, it had an unemployment rate of 6.8 percent. Income-generating activities in Taraba are mainly associated with agriculture and with some mining. The recent addition of a dam has allowed tea production in the hills to resume. Home to 50,000 IDPs, Taraba faces the challenge of facilitating the ‘safe and voluntarily return and resettlement of displaced persons, followed by promoting ‘local governance and citizen engagement. Addressing the needs in a holistic and integrated manner is critical for sustainable recovery and is seen as a precondition for stability and key for sustainable recovery. Based on the guiding principles laid out in the overall Strategic Recovery and Peace Building Framework, needs have been identified in three main areas of intervention: (i) peace building, stability, and social cohesion; (ii) infrastructure and social services; and (iii) economic recovery, totaling US$ 192 million for Taraba State alone. Yobe: Yobe State was carved out of Borno State on 27 August 1991. It borders Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, and Jigawa, while to the north it borders the Republic of Niger. The state covers a land area of 45,502 square kilometers. Yobe is primarily a rural state. The majority of the population live in rural settlements while the rest live in five urban centres. Before the insurgency, Yobe’s economy was agricultural-based, comprised mostly of livestock, crop, horticultural production and fisheries, gum Arabic and palm trees. The state traded with neighboring states and countries, mainly by road. It had a burgeoning tourism economy with a number of hotels and restaurants catering to people visiting the local bird sanctuary and parks. As a state directly impacted by conflict and displacement, social needs in Yobe are greatest in the subcomponents of ‘local governance and citizen engagement, and ‘safe and voluntarily return and resettlement of displaced persons. Many issues addressed in peace building, stability, and social cohesion and the recommended interventions are preconditions of future stability and important efforts to overcome Yobe’s long-term development challenges. Based on the guiding principles laid out in the overall Strategic Recovery and Peace Building Framework, needs have been identified in the three main areas of intervention: (i) peace building, stability, and social cohesion; (ii) infrastructure and social services; and (iii) economic recovery, totaling more than US$ 722 million for Yobe PREVIOUS INTERVENTIONS IN THE NORTH EAST ZONE In response to the depleting social safety net and socio-economic resources and overstretched humanitarian services the federal government of Nigeria in a sensitive, strategic response to the national issues raised by these developments, established the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) in 2015. The program which was domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) was a multi-dimensional soft approach to tackle the persistent insecurity issues in the North-East, which includes the North East Economic Transformation (NEET) Program & the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Program, with special focus of food insecurity which had risen 22 per cent of the population and acute malnutrition in children under the age of five in the worst hit states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states. Further to the unmitigated and escalating crisis in the region, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, signed into law the establishment of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in October 2017. The commission was charged with the responsibility of consolidating the other initiatives such as the Victims Support Fund (VSF), Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), and Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative (PCNI). The funding of the Commission was envisaged from various sources including the Federal Government of Nigeria, international bilateral donors, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the UN, the European Union, USAID, UKAID/DFID, as well as local donors. The NEDC’s overall mission is to lead the Page 4 of 14 reconstruction and development of Nigeria’s northeast, through capital investments in data systems, education, health care, housing, skills training, and agriculture. If successfully implemented, the NEDC has the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of Nigerians in the northeast. In view of the above and in pursuit of the overall purpose of the technical assistance of the World Bank which is to “support the NEDC in its preparation of a North East Stabilization and Development Master and the program rational which is to assist NEDC by its mandate is to assess, coordinate, harmonize and report on all intervention programs, and initiatives by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), States; and other Development Partners and for the implementation of all programs and initiatives for the Six states within the North East region. In carrying out this mandate, the Commission has begun developing the North East Stabilization and Development Plan (NESDMP) for repairing the social and physical infrastructures that have been harmed by the long-running asymmetric war waged by insurgents in the region. I was engaged to participate in the program under the under listed terms of engagement. i. Advise on the definition and design of the master planning process (20 days): a) Conduct a comprehensive desk review of available documentation as it pertains to regional recovery and development planning in a federal government context, including the NE Nigeria RPBA and the Buhari Plan. b) Conduct an in-depth desk review of current state level recovery and development planning in the six northeast states of Nigeria and identify institutional and operational challenges for recovery to development transition. c) Accompany the NEDC lead consultant – where possible -in initial interviews with selected NEDC, state government, federal government, and development partner officials to understand properly expectations concerning the proposed master planning process. d) Prepare an inception report to the NEDC and World Bank that includes recommendations concerning the design of the NE master planning process, including resourcing requirements for its implementation. ii. Advise on the stakeholder consultation and needs assessment processes (30 days): e) Review the results of the detailed stakeholder consultation and needs assessment that would drive the content of the master plan conducted by the NEDC lead consultant to provide recommendations and guidance notes, if applicable. Note that this task will be informant and document based and will not require field work. f) Based on the above, advise on the development of a detailed implementation schedule for the master planning process, including terms of reference for additional technical assistance required for the exercise. g) Lead the evaluation and analysis of outputs from the consultation and needs assessment process. iii. Prepare a report that details the results of the consultation and needs assessment process, including recommendations on the scope and structure of the NE master plan Support the drafting of the North East Stabilization and Development Masterplan (50 days) h) In consultation with the NEDC lead consultant, prepare an initial masterplan table of contents; maintain and update the table of contents during the process of masterplan drafting. Page 5 of 14 i) Assist the NEDC lead consultant in tasking the preparation of the different sections and sub-sections that make up the emerging masterplan. j) Review, amend and compile into a master document written input from those tasked with preparing the different sections and sub-sections of the emerging masterplan; personally prepare sections and sub-sections on the instruction of the lead consultant. k) Coordinate and oversee the costing of the strategies that are included in the Master Plan. l) Serve as lead editor for the first draft of the masterplan document. m) Work closely with graphic design staff and consultants to ensure the first draft of the masterplan is presented and illustrated to the highest standard. n) Advise the NEDC management on the “validation� of the draft masterplan with selected stakeholders; as agreed, support the convening of a masterplan validation workshop for this purpose. o) Based on feedback received from the validation process, update the first draft of the masterplan document in the form of a final draft, to be presented to the Board of the NEDC. p) Based on the review of the NEDC Board, update the final draft to form the finalized masterplan document. q) Support as needed the design and publication of the masterplan, based on the under listed deliverables i. An inception report that includes recommendations concerning the design of the NE master planning process, including resourcing requirements for its implementation. ii. A report setting out the design and results of master plan consultations and needs assessment. iii. A report that analyzes and synthesizes the output of the master plan consultation and needs assessment. iv. A report on the master plan strategy analysis, investment planning, prioritization and sequencing of investments and implementation plan v. A rolling table of contents for the emerging masterplan document. vi. A first draft of the masterplan. vii. A report of the masterplan validation workshop. viii. A final draft of the masterplan. ix. A consultancy completion report summarizing all deliverables, recommendations and lessons learned In line with the demands of the ToR, I commenced the assignment with the review of the under listed documents i. The Buhari Plan (Volume 1-4) ii. North-East Nigeria Recovery and Peace Building Assessment (RPBA) 2016. iii. Recovery and Peace Building Assessment (RPBA) 2016, iv. NESTS Final Report, v. World Bank, EU & UN Recovery & Peace Building Assessment 3, 2016 (Volumes 1, 2 & 3), vi. Borno Plan and Lake Chad Regional Stabilization Strategy (RSS). vii. Recovery and Peace Building Assessment (RPBA) of Uganda and Somaliland. viii. Borno State S development plans (from ------) ix. Taraba State Development Plan (from…..) x. Adamawa State Development plan (from…..) xi. Bauchi State Development plan ( from……) Page 6 of 14 xii. Gombe State Development plan (From…..) and xiii. Yobe State Development plan( from…..) Key Outputs and Gaps from the Reviews A. Outputs i. The government-led North-Eastern Nigeria RPBA provided a detailed assessment of the impact of the conflict on peace building and social cohesion; infrastructure and social services, and economic recovery. Based on this assessment, and through consultations with a variety of recovery stakeholders, the report also presented quantified assessments of recovery needs, as well as recommendations on policy and institutional frameworks for recovery. ii. Through a multi-staged consultation process, including development of the assessment methodology, collection, and validation of data and progressive corroboration of results, the RPBA helped to engage federal and state governments, local and international NGOs, affected communities and international development partners to develop an agreed upon framework for peacebuilding and recovery in the country. iii. The results of the RPBA have been embraced by the Government of Nigeria as a critical component of national recovery and peacebuilding planning. Led by the Government of Nigeria, under the leadership of the Office of the Vice President, and being particularly State-driven with State focal points guiding the coordination of assessment efforts, the RPBA has been highlighted as having full ownership of political leadership at both state and federal levels. iv. The RPBA has also been instrumental in shaping the World Bank Country Office’s portfolio revision. As a critical input to the Country Partnership Framework (CPF), the RPBA informs the priorities of all projects in the country. B. Gaps While the review recorded the above listed positive outputs, my review of the zone against Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental (P.E.S.T.E.L) exposed the under listed eleven (11) prong gaps: i. Poor Communication ii. Lack of compromise iii. Needs not met iv. Prejudice v. Intolerance vi. Self-interest vii. Ignorance viii. Desire for power ix. Lack of Empathy x. Making Assumptions xi. Exclusion of cultural and social interests WHY THE MASTERPLAN HAS NOT BEEN CONCLUDED/MEASURES TO CORRECT THE GAPS All these factors are sustained because of the lack of a decentralized, and people based / culture sensitive solutions that are community evolved and propagated. These identified gaps led to the Page 7 of 14 initiation of Humanitarian Development Peacebuilding (HDP) Stakeholders Engagement to provide a platform for knowledge sharing among the HDP actors working in the North East, as well as to solicit their input into the development of the North East Stabilization and Development Master-plan to ensure bottom-up ownership. The specific objectives of the HDP are to: i. Provide a platform to address the ongoing development of a North East Stabilization and Development Master Plan (NESDMP), and will focus on the roles played by HDP actors ii. Create awareness amongst Humanitarian Development Peace-building (HDP) actors on joint planning and collective outcomes for the North East Stabilization and Development Master Plan (NESDMP). iii. Define the Master Plan areas of intervention and gaps in existing state and sector plans. iv. Identify the thrust and direction of the NESDMP process v. Understand expectations concerning the proposed NESDMP planning process particularly with regards to coordination. vi. Collect inputs and advice on the way forward including schemes, programmes and projects currently funded in the NE Zone vii. Establish advocacy programs for the people who are still engaged in the insurrection. Key Outcomes/Recommendations of the Forum. The following are the key outcomes of the Forum. i. The NESDP development team should integrate youth and gender responsive public service delivery, and devise a program and investment strategy that will prepare these groups in the short term (4-5 years) to become the pivot for intervention in the post- conflict North East environment. ii. Agreement that the NESDMP should include strategies for increasing economic interdependence and prosperity in the North East region that are not based on handouts but rather on adding economic value. iii. The FCDO would like to deepen its collaboration with the NEDC and would appreciate being kept up to date on the Commission's activities. iv. The public sector has capacity; thus, the NESDMP process will seek to fully utilize the capabilities of the public and civil servants in the development of the plan. v. Active stakeholder engagement in the development of a plan for the North East must be maintained. A concerted effort should be made to engage more with state governments in the region, especially since some state governments' positions are diametrically opposed to the activities of HDPs in their states. vi. After the first plenary session, the forum was divided into three – humanitarian, development and peacebuilding groups - to brainstorm on main concerns in the respective areas, and come up with strategies towards ensuring a peaceful North East region. The three groups worked assiduously and presented their reports on current and future programming at the second plenary session. RESOLUTIONS FROM THE HDP i. The NESDMP is an all-inclusive roadmap for the Reconciliation, Rehabilitation, Reactivation, Replacement, Reconstruction, Resettlement, Renewal, Regeneration, Redevelopment and Sustainable Growth of the North-East Region. ii. It will use transformative projects and programs to help people get out of poverty while also promoting prosperity. Page 8 of 14 iii. The NEDC Act divides the plan development process into two parts. One is the Baseline Studies segment, which investigate the extent of damage and needs assessment across the region, and the other is the Master Plan Production segment, which creates schemes and programs with costs and timelines. iv. In order to create an all-encompassing document, eleven pillars with corresponding sectors have been created thus far. The pillars and sectors are as follows: S/N PILLAR SECTOR Peaceful Society Security, Peace Building, , Recovery and Stabilisation Leadership in Agriculture Agriculture, Agribusiness, Food security Healthy Citizens Healthcare, Nutrition, Sanitation and Hygiene Educated Populace Education, Technical and Vocation Training Flourishing Trade Trade, Investment and Economic Development Productive Entrepreneurs MSME, Commerce and Entrepreneurship Purposeful Infrastructure Basic and Major Infrastructure Industrialization Oil, Gas, Energy, Power and Mining Memorable Experiences Hospitality, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation Protected Environment Environment, Ecology, Forestry & Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Connected Region Inter-State/Regional/Sub-Regional/Lake Chad Integration . Strategy for Achieving the Listed Pillars of NESDMP and a vision of ‘A thriving peaceful region, leveled up with productive economic shifts for enhanced outputs, inclusive growth, and self-sufficiency.' Strategic themes were formed with more detailed approaches to achievement using five key terms; peaceful, thriving, productive, inclusive, and sustained, using the under listed parameters i. The NESDMP is being developed in such a way that expert consultants have been hired to focus on each of the identified sectors. ii. Each sector benefits from both the baseline analysis of the extent of damage in the state/region, needs assessment, current and future plans, as well as the masterplan Page 9 of 14 activities, which map out strategies, schemes, projects, and programs with cost and time estimates iii. The NESDMP development process is complete with numerous activities that are interconnected. There is, for example, a corporate communication strategy in place to harmonize information interchanges. Also, there is a monitoring and evaluation framework in place that runs throughout the process to keep track of indicators, accomplishments, and gaps. iv. The existing development plans of the North East states, the Buhari Plan, and all other existing plans in the region will be combined to form the proposed NESDMP. As a result, the primary activity of the NESDMP process is to identify gaps in existing plans and devise strategies for filling them. v. Exhaustive literature review, including diagnosis of the States’ masterplans, the Buhari Plan, etc. has been conducted by consultants on each of the eleven sectors. IDENTIFIED INHIBITORS TO THE NESDMP • A low peace-building component of the response to the North-East crises, as evidenced by the small number of organizations implementing peacebuilding initiatives in the region. • Inadequate funding for peacebuilding as a result of donors' preference for programs and projects that produce tangible results. • The federal government's firm stance on the use of military force as a strategy for stabilizing the region's ongoing insurgency. • A lack of understanding of the issues and conflict structures in the North East, which has resulted in a poor and ineffective response to the region's conflict. Inaccessibility of several areas that require attention in the North East due to insecurity. • The constant target of humanitarian aid workers, who are mostly targets of insurgents. • A lack of proper coordination among different humanitarian actors, who frequently have overlapping plans. • Inadequate funding for humanitarian actions that could lead to long-term development. • Inadequate community entry strategy and engagement, which always leaves program beneficiaries uninformed about a program's and/or project's philosophies. • Shifting funds from humanitarian response to development programming and vice versa, without proper coordination. • Accountability and transparency to the affected population and communities A lack of understanding of the region's conflict drivers, as well as ineffective coordination among regional development actors • The current North East response plan is ineffective and poorly coordinated. • Weak human capital development strategy that has resulted in uncoordinated programming. • Lack of a political framework; significant disparity between state and non-state actors’ vision of the region. • Inadequate management of available resources or complementarity of efforts • A significant skill gap in the region with no deliberate effort to close it Page 10 of 14 PROPOSED STRATEGIES TOWARDS MITIGATING SOME OF THE IDENTIFIED GAPS: i. Vigorous implementation of trauma programs, which will be therapeutic to most local residents, traumatized by the region's decade-long crises. ii. Deliberate and long-term community engagement and dialogue to re-establish social cohesion that has been shattered in the region as a result of the Region's overburdened societal infrastructure. iii. As a supplement to existing peacebuilding measures, an early warning and response system for conflict management should be established. iv. Increased collaboration among Lake Chad basin (LCB) states on common security and development issues. v. A post-stabilization policing mechanism that incorporates existing unconventional security outfits, such as the Civilian JTF, into the region's security architecture, so that members are not forced to form another armed group using the training and intelligence they have been exposed to. vi. Strong advocacy for additional support for institutional capacity building vii. Proper investigation and identification of root causes of any humanitarian response in the region before implementation viii. A well-coordinated political strategy. This will include, among other things, a government-coordinated and coherently run response that prioritizes stabilization and cessation of hostilities before reconstruction. ix. A concerted effort to investigate and design appropriate responses to some of the North East's conflict drivers, which include: - climate change response - education - Lake Chad concern - women and girl empowerment - constructing sustainable cities x. Limit the number of Rs in the existing response plan to a maximum of three that can be rationalized. xi. Begin a massive regional infrastructure rehabilitation and development project (transport, housing and communication). xii. Active participation of relevant government agencies in promoting regional sustainability. xiii. Investigating and monitoring social norms. Changes in social norms will influence the adoption and implementation of any new plan that is developed. xiv. Diaspora mapping and utilization. xv. Carrying out a capacity needs assessment and a vigorous local capacity empowerment campaign. Page 11 of 14 The project development matrix seeks to provide answers and solutions to 1. The main concerns regarding current response to peace, prosperity, and sustainable development in the North East 2. The strategies can be adapted to ensure return of the North East to path of peace, recovery, and prosperity 3. The most sustainable pathway to the development process of NESDMP and 4. Provide us with information regarding your current and future plans for the North East region (schemes, programmes and projects) Page 12 of 14 LIKELY DATES FOR SUBMISSION Page 13 of 14 Page 14 of 14