Green Horizon Introduces Kano Community Development Scheme (Kano-CDS)

Green Horizon Introduces Kano Community Development Scheme (Kano-CDS)

Green Horizon is supporting an initiative to address Kano’s contemporary socio-economic challenge and move Kano forward through individual and collective efforts. The initiative, called Kano Community Development Scheme (Kano-CDS), known as “Hannu da Yawa” in Hausa, is a response to widespread concern over the social and economic challenges confronting Kano today. These include the threats to safety and security, youth restiveness and violence, widespread drug
abuse, large numbers of out of school children, and environmental neglect These
and similar challenges combine to put at risk Kano’s age-old status as the centre
of commerce, culture and society in this region of the world, thereby undermining the progress and prosperity of Kano people.
Roundtable Consultation
In designing this initiative Green Horizon constituted a consultative body of
experts, professionals, community and religious leaders, public servants and
political leaders, which is called the Roundtable, which reviewed past similar
attempts and tried to draw lessons
Kano-CDS comes from the conviction that Kano’s social and economic problems
can be squarely and successfully addressed and resolved, and that the drift can
be arrested, allowing Kano to continue to grow and develop. For this purpose,
Kano-CDS has adopted the following approach:
 All interested individuals and groups are given opportunity to contribute to
find and implement solutions, side by side with Government
 Putting in place an all-society funding programme that is reliable,
trustworthy and transparent
 Commitment to ethical principles to guide our action

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 Our deployment of modern technology to ease communication and build
confidence and trust
 Implementing solutions informed by knowledge, skills and experience
Priority Interventions
To start, Kano-CDS identified and selected 3 priority issues, around projects have
been designed:
 Youth Empowerment and Skills
 Improving Community Safety, and
 Addressing the problem of Drug abuse
Through Kano-CDS, everybody can participate and contribute to address Kano’s
developmental challenges. The objective is to generate funding through regular
and sustained individual and groups financial contribution. Every who cares or is
concerned about the progress of Kano can join and commit to contribute
regularly (eg. monthly) a certain amount that he or she finds convenient. This
can be done at the Kano-CDS office, or from anywhere in the world by
registering directly and contributing through the Kano CDS website
www.kanocds.org. Alternatively, individuals and groups can join one of the Kano
CDS Community Management Committees (CMC) which are being set up in
interested communities, institutions, MDAs, unions, associations and
organizations. Full information is available on the website.
Benefits of Participation
Through individual and collective contributions and participation, it is possible to
reverse the socio-economic downturn and successfully transform Kano into a
safer, and more peaceful, secure, prosperous compassionate, and progressive
society. The benefits will include reduction in the incidence of poverty,
generating socio-economic progress, improving safety, enhancing the quality of
life, and curtailing the menace of drug abuse, violence, unemployment and
insecurity. Successful implementation of this initiative will also increase social
cohesion and create a sense of belonging for everyone, as well as promote
balanced and sustainable development between urban and rural communities.

Minister of Women Affairs Commends Green Horizon Institute for Promoting the Protection of Children

Minister of Women Affairs Commends Green Horizon Institute for Promoting the Protection of Children

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen OFR, commended Green Horizon Institute for advancing the legal protection of children. She gave the commendation while speaking as Special Guest at the celebration of Human Rights Day 10th December 2022 which also witnessed the a stakeholder sensitization workshop marking the closing of a 4-Day Capacity Building Workshop for Judges, Magistrates, Assessors, and other Stakeholders of the Rivers State Family court. Green Horizon Institute delivered the training workshop in Port Harcourt, which was organized by the Rivers State Judiciary. The Minister equally commended the Government of Rivers State for establishing the Family courts and appreciated the wife of the Rivers State Governor, Hon Justice Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike, for her tireless effort and prioritisation of the protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of children. Mrs Nyesom-Wike is the pioneer Chairperson of the Rivers State Family Court. In his opening address, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof Muhammed Tabiu SAN, who is also the Chairman of Green Horizon Institute, expressed the commitment of the Institute to continue to partner with the Rivers state Judiciary for further enhancing the capacity of the Family court, and appreciated the efforts of both Mrs Nyesom- Wike and the State Chief Judge Hon Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi in establishing the state’s Family court.

From left to right: GHI facilitators Mrs Ugonna Ezekwem and Mal. Ibrahim Alkali, Chairman of GHI Prof Muhammed Tabiu SAN, Hon Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Talen, and the First Lady of Rivers State, Mrs Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike at the Family court sensitization workshop.

 

The Minister of Women Affairs, Rivers State First Lady, Hon Commissioner of Women Affairs, GHI Chairman, Traditional rulers, Judges and GHI facilitators at the family courts sensitization workshop.
Overview of participants at the GHI facilitated Family court sensitization workshop in Port Harcourt Rivers State.

Green Horizon celebrates excellence and laudable academic achievements by two of its Experts

2021 was a year of academic accomplishment, we witnessed the PhD and Masters graduation ceremonies of two of our colleagues. The first was by Malam Ibrahim Bello, who in July 2022 completed his Master of Arts degree from University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, and the second was Dr Safiya Ahmad Nuhu, who in December, graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa with PhD in Law. Interestingly, both colleagues’ additional expertise and specializations are in fields of great interest to Green Horizon, with their areas of research focusing on peace and conflict studies and its intersectionality with law and development.

Ibrahim Bello’s thesis, titled Exploring INGO roles in the emerging trend of convergence of liberal peace and “local turn” in peace building approaches in post conflict African society: A case study of Nigeria” explored different peace building approaches in post-conflict African societies, and the use of ADR to amicably settle interpersonal and inter communal disputes and manage conflict. This is particularly an important component of several GH services and projects in various parts of Nigeria. For over a decade, GH has carried out numerous trainings and capacity building interventions, including mentorship, setting up support mechanisms for traditional justice institutions, and developing and establishing groundbreaking ADR software to improve record keeping by traditional justice institutions. In this regard, GH has worked for several Federal and State institutions and the FCT, as well as development partners such as the UK the British Council, UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Union (EU).

Dr Safiya’s thesis, titled The Kampala Convention on Internally Displaced Persons: exploring a coherent implementation approach through existing peace and security structures of the African Union (AU) and its Sub Regional Organizations (SRO) explored strategies for implementing the Kampala Convention on IDPs to effectively address the crisis of displacement in Africa. As a case study, the research also explored the migration spectrum in Nigeria, including scale, response mechanisms, legal and institutional structure, etc, and recommended some important steps to address the increasingly challenging and complex migration environment in Africa. Indeed, the research has a strong nexus and relevance with GH’s projects in the North-east since 2009. Since the start of the Boko Haram Crisis, GH has been involved in a wide range of activities on forced displacement including research, response/interventions, IDP and host- community sensitization. In 2015, two GH experts conducted research for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) titled Internal Displacement in North-East Nigeria: Operationalising the Kampala Convention in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States. GH has continued to provide services that support peacebuilding and strengthening resilience in conflict affected communities in Nigeria.

Indeed, the additional expertise that has been brought in by these academic achievements of our two colleagues will further enrich and add to the overall value of services offered by GH.

Minister of Women Affairs Commends Green Horizon Institute for Promoting the Protection of Children

Minister of Women Affairs Commends Green Horizon Institute for Promoting the Protection of Children

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen OFR, commended Green Horizon Institute for advancing the legal protection of children. She gave the commendation while speaking as Special Guest at the celebration of Human Rights Day 10th December 2022 which also witnessed the a stakeholder sensitization workshop marking the closing of a 4-Day Capacity Building Workshop for Judges, Magistrates, Assessors, and other Stakeholders of the Rivers State Family court. Green Horizon Institute delivered the training workshop in Port Harcourt, which was organized by the Rivers State Judiciary. The Minister equally commended the Government of Rivers State for establishing the Family courts and appreciated the wife of the Rivers State Governor, Hon Justice Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike, for her tireless effort and prioritisation of the protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of children. Mrs Nyesom-Wike is the pioneer Chairperson of the Rivers State Family Court. In his opening address, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof Muhammed Tabiu SAN, who is also the Chairman of Green Horizon Institute, expressed the commitment of the Institute to continue to partner with the Rivers state Judiciary for further enhancing the capacity of the Family court, and appreciated the efforts of both Mrs Nyesom- Wike and the State Chief Judge Hon Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi in establishing the state’s Family court.

From left to right: GHI facilitators Mrs Ugonna Ezekwem and Mal. Ibrahim Alkali, Chairman of GHI Prof Muhammed Tabiu SAN, Hon Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Talen, and the First Lady of Rivers State, Mrs Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike at the Family court sensitization workshop.

 

The Minister of Women Affairs, Rivers State First Lady, Hon Commissioner of Women Affairs, GHI Chairman, Traditional rulers, Judges and GHI facilitators at the family courts sensitization workshop.
Overview of participants at the GHI facilitated Family court sensitization workshop in Port Harcourt Rivers State.