UNDP, ChevronTexaco agree on Niger Delta partnership

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has agreed to help US oil transnational ChevronTexaco execute community development projects in Nigeria’s volatile Niger Delta region, company officials said on Tuesday. Under the terms of the agreement, signed on Monday, UNDP will place at ChevronTexaco's disposal its expertise in Infrastructure development, health care, education and micro-credit schemes, details provided to IRIN showed. The agreement was by ChevronTexaco Nigeria’s managing director, Jay Pryor, and UNDP Resident Representative Mbaya Kankwenda "UNDP has a proven track record of managing community-development projects not only in the Niger Delta, but all over Nigeria," Pryor said at the signing ceremony. "We know that our partnership with them will ensure that our money is spent more efficiently and that we bring development to our communities faster." Kankwenda said UNDP was ready to work with the oil company to prevent conflict in the oil-producing communities. The collaboration was expected to become a model of partnership between UNDP and the private sector, he said. "We plan to make the communities to be part of the projects," he added. "We will help you (Chevron) to build peace." The Niger Delta produces most of the crude oil that is the mainstay of Nigeria's economy. However, it has seen an upsurge of violence in the past decade. Militants from impoverished communities, which feel cheated out of the wealth produced on their land by the government and the oil companies, regularly disrupt oil operations to back their demands for jobs and amenities. Though the oil transantionals spend millions of dollars annually on community development projects, development experts say the projects are often of doubtful utility due to lack of ownership by the communities, that often were not consulted before project decisions were made. ChevronTexaco officials said the partnership with UNDP was aimed at avoiding the pitfalls of the past.