Abuja (Nigeria), 15 November 2018 – Eni, through its Nigerian subsidiary Agip Energy and Natural Resources (AENR) and its partner Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have commissioned today a model solar powered borehole for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Waru, Abuja. The borehole will provide safe and clean water to the IDPs and the host community of an estimated 4000 persons, including the IDPs that fled insurgency in North East Nigeria.  

This initiative is specifically geared towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with particular emphasis on SDG1- No Poverty; SDG 2- Zero Hunger; SDG6 - Clean water and Sanitation; SDG13 - Climate Action and SDG17 – Public-Private Partnerships for the Goals.

The borehole is electrically and solar powered with a photovoltaic system and is equipped with a reverse-osmosis plant to treat water to ensure it is potable. The treated water from the 80 meters deep well is propelled into a water tank with a capacity of 25 m3. A total of 18 faucets are provided in 3 separate fetching points across the camp to allow for easier access. During the project implementation, the local authorities were involved to provide support in training and sensitizing the IDPs and the host community on water management and practices for long-term sustainability.

This is the first of 10 boreholes to be implemented within the framework of “Access to Water” project by FAO and Eni in the joint initiative to promote secure access to water in selected communities in the country, to which a collaborative agreement was earlier signed.

Within this project, FAO provides support in identifying the areas of intervention for the boreholes, as well as technical expertise whereas Eni drills and equips the boreholes. The investment for the first year of activities is about USD 1,000,000.

The project aims to contribute to the humanitarian interventions for internally displaced persons and host communities suffering from the crisis in North East Nigeria. It addresses Nigeria’s Federal Government request to Oil and Gas Companies to support sustainable programmes that impact positively on the affected communities. The project is aligned to the Buhari Plan on “Rebuilding the North East”, the blueprint for comprehensive humanitarian relief and socio-economic stabilization in the region.

The FAO Country Representative in Nigeria and to ECOWAS Suffyan Koroma, said “the plan is to ensure that displaced persons and host communities have access to safe and adequate water for use in the households and for agriculture. This collaborative effort is geared towards guaranteeing sustainable food and nutrition security to the beneficiary community.”

Lorenzo Fiorillo, AENR Managing Director, said: ““This project is the outcome of our fruitful cooperation with Nigerian authorities and FAO, and leverages our technical skills to improve the living conditions of the Waru community, allowing access to clean water. It is based on our belief that private Companies can and should cooperate with the public sector to play an active role in sustainable development.”

The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement, an essential tool in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, responds to the call to establish the multi-stakeholder partnerships in order to support the overall achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Eni has been present in Nigeria since 1962 through its subsidiaries NAOC (Nigerian Agip Oil Company), AENR (Agip Energy and Natural Resources) and NAE (Nigerian Agip Exploration), with both onshore and offshore activities. Eni’s sustainability effort in Nigeria includes activities relating to agricultural development, access to energy, health, training, environmental protection, as well as specific initiatives for stakeholder engagement in local communities and promotion of transparency.

The FAO marks its 40th year of officially establishing a representation in Nigeria this year, though its activities in Nigeria dates back to the 1950s. The organization working with relevant ministries at the national and sub-national  levels, has continued to provide strategic support to national development programmes and strategies aimed at reducing poverty, improving food and nutrition security and natural resources management.

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