NIGERIA: U.S.-BAYELSA PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000483 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY SIPDIS STATE PASS NSC FOR BOBBY PITTMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV EAID ECON KDEM NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: U.S.-BAYELSA PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHES CONCRETE PROGRAM PLANS REF: LAGOS 386 Sensitive But Unclassified; Handle Accordingly ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Ambassador led the second meeting with Bayelsa State officials on November 20 in Lagos as part of the Mission's pilot program on engaging individual states. The Ambassador-led USG delegation welcomed Bayelsa Governor Timipre Silva and a team of State Commissioners, House of Assembly members and the Vice Chancellor of Niger Delta University. Bilateral working groups concluded concrete plans for including Bayelsa State in the Youth Leadership, International Visitor Leadership and Humphrey Fellowship exchange programs; rehabilitation of a Bayelsa State vocational training and handicraft center through the Office of Security Cooperation (OSC); training Bayelsa State Assembly members, civil society and the media in oversight and implementation of new government procurement and fiscal responsibility legislation; improving Bayelsa farmers' capacity for growing rice and bananas, and for aquaculture. In addition, plans were also established for participation by Bayelsa companies in trade missions to the United States and capacity building programs to help Bayelsa's small and medium-sized enterprises participate in U.S. finance and guarantee programs; and for teaching entrepreneurial skills in universities and secondary schools in Bayelsa. The Ambassador's innovative program has generated a great deal of enthusiasm on the part of the Bayelsa participants, who see it as a way to access U.S. expertise, for which Bayelsa has in many cases agreed to pay, and apply it to problems that the State itself is working on. End Summary. ¶1. (SBU) On November 20, Ambassador led the second meeting of the Partnership Exchange with the State of Bayelsa. Following welcoming remarks by the Ambassador, the U.S. Mission team, composed of representatives from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),the Foreign Commercial Service (FCS),Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS),DOD Office of Security Cooperation (OSC) humanitarian assistance program, Lagos Consul General, Lagos Public Affairs and Political-Economic Sections and Ambassador's Special Assistant made brief presentations of their programs and how they might be used to meet the needs articulated by Bayelsa State at the previous meeting (Ref A). Bayelsa Governor Timipre Silva thanked the Ambassador for her hospitality, and introduced Bayelsa Commissioners for Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Youth and Conflict Resolution, and Special Duties; as well as the Whip of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, the Vice Chancellor for Niger Delta University and the Director for eGovernance and Government Procurement. The Governor noted that the meeting was being held in Lagos pursuant to the agreement proposed by the Ambassador to alternate meetings between Yenagoa and Lagos. Following the introductory plenary session, the group divided up into a series of breakout sessions composed of U.S. Mission members and their counterparts to work through specific project ideas. The group later reconvened in a final plenary session to report back with three or four "ways forward" resulting from the meetings. ¶3. (SBU) At the completion of their meetings, the bilateral working groups reported the following "ways forward": -- Educational Exchanges: The Public Affairs Section reported that for the International Visitor Leadership Program and the Humphrey Fellowship Programs, Bayelsa State will submit five and three nominations, respectively, within an agreed-upon period of time. The selection process for the Youth Leaders Exchange Program, which will be tailored specifically for Bayelsa State youths, will complete the process of selection of 10 youths by the end of February 2009. -- Vocational Center Rehabilitation: OSC's humanitarian assistance coordinator reported that the working group had produced 14 locations where handicraft centers are being established by the State. The State will provide OSC with information regarding the community surrounding each center, how many persons the center is likely to assist, and other LAGOS 00000483 002 OF 003 details needed for application for funds. OSC plans to conduct an initial assessment of a handicraft center as well as the multipurpose vocational training center in Yenagoa for possible rehabilitation in January. -- Technical Assistance for Fiscal Responsibility and Government Procurement Legislation: USAID rapporteur noted that, in light of the extensive progress already made by Bayelsa State in these important areas, USAID will provide written input from the USAID consultant on the two bills as quickly as possible to the Bayelsa House of Assembly. The Bayelsa State House of Assembly Whip, the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Public Procurement Board, and the Director of eGovernance and Public Procurement requested a workshop which will conducted in Calabar before the end of the year. Day one of the workshop will review the legislation and cover the Bayelsa State Assembly's oversight responsibilities once the bill is passed. Day two of the workshop will cover similar issues for civil society and the media. -- Agriculture: FAS and USAID reported that the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Agriculture and his team expressed interest in university to university collaboration, assistance in finding ways to strengthen agricultural cooperatives, and building capacity in growing rice and bananas, and in starting aquaculture programs. FAS will provide information on upcoming agricultural trade shows in the United States. Bayelsa will encourage its proposed applicants for the Cocharan and Norman Borlaug Fellowships to complete on-line applications. These two steps will be completed by November 28. USAID will link Bayelsa partners with the Maximizing Agricultural Revenue and Key Enterprises for Target Sites (MARKETS) program. -- Commercial Opportunities: FCS reported that the Bayelsa Commissioner of Commerce is seeking ways to help local companies grow to the point at which they can take advantage of programs such as OPIC, EXIM and TDA. To do that, the partners will be in touch withUSAID to determine whether the Senior Executive Corps is a possibility for Nigeria. FCS will also provide the Bayelsa Commissioner of Commerce with a list of all trade shows and buyer programs for which FCS is recruiting, and will inform the Commissioner when delegations from the United States come to Nigeria. -- Entrepreneurship Training: PAS reported that both Students Investing in Free Enterprise (SIFE) and Students for the Advancement of Global Enterprise (SAGE) made presentations to the Bayelsa Commissioner of Education and to the Vice Chancellor of Delta State University. Both SIFE has a meeting scheduled for Monday, November 24 in Yenagoa, and SAGE has been invited to attend as well. ¶4. (SBU) Following the working group presentations, Bayelsa partners indicated that they were hoping that additional information could be provided on the following topics for which there had been no specific breakout session: -- African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA): The Commissioner of Agriculture also expressed interest in better understanding what AGOA might do for them. USAID will ask the West Africa Trade Hub in Accra to travel to Nigeria to provide information to AGOA. -- Microcredit: Bayelsa State has had several projects offering microcredit, and found that none were entirely successful; the State is now looking for a better model for the expansion of microcredit in the State. USAID suggested that the eGovernance Director reach out to the Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) in Benin City which has Nigeria's most successful microcredit program. The NGO operates in 12 states and may be amenable to expanding to Bayelsa. The eGovernance Director said he would put together a team and meet again with USAID specifically on this topic. ¶5. (SBU) The Ambassador noted that she and the Governor would join the working groups approximately once each quarter to assess progress on agreed-upon programs. USAID, OSC and Lagos Pol-Econ will travel to Bayelsa State in January for LAGOS 00000483 003.2 OF 003 the third meeting of working groups and to conduct needed assessments. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: This innovative program has generated a great deal of enthusiasm on the part of the Bayelsa participants, who see it as a way to access U.S. expertise, for which Bayelsa in many cases has agreed to pay, and apply it to problems that the State itself is working on. End Comment. BLAIR