FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
12 November 2015
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USAID Launches Project to Promote Participatory Responsive Governance in Niger
Niamey, Niger, 12 November – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), officially launched its newParticipatory, Responsive Governance project as well as two other electoral activities today in Niamey in collaboration with several partners including: the National Democratic Institute (NDI), International Republican Institute (IRI), Creative Associates, and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP). This project, which includes four new activities, is a five-year, U.S. $20 million initiative that will work to improve the responsiveness of the Nigerien government and its citizens in order to increase citizen confidence in the state. The project will focus on promoting a more open and accessible government that meets the needs of its people, as well as on supporting a peaceful and inclusive election process in Niger.
Project activities will promote a better understanding of how the Nigerien government, civil society, and political actors respond to the Nigerien public’s service needs and improve government and citizen responsiveness to public needs in order to increase citizen confidence in government institutions. An important element of the project is a pre- and post-electoral program implemented by NDI and IRI. This program is supporting political parties to include citizens’ priorities in their political messages, promote the active participation of women and youth in the electoral process and create conditions for peaceful and inclusive presidential, legislative and local elections. The project also aims to strengthen the capacity of local civil society and private organizations that seek to ensure that the needs of Nigerien citizens are being addressed. The project will focus specifically on supporting the inclusion of women and youth in the political and electoral processes.
USAID also supports the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) through their project entitled “Mitigating Electoral Violence by the National Early Warning System.” As part of the United States’ efforts to support the 2016 elections in Niger, NEWS will assist community organizations in identifying potential risks of election violence and develop recommendations for peacebuilding activities to prevent or contain this violence.
U.S. Ambassador to Niger Eunice Reddick formally launched these new activities, emphasizing the opportunity that political parties have to make the government more responsive to Nigerien citizens. “The Participatory Responsive Governance project will facilitate activities that identify citizen priorities and then share these findings with political parties and other actors to ensure that they have the information they need to effectively represent Nigerien citizens. It is especially important that political parties speak to the priorities of youth, women and other marginalized populations in Niger, to ensure that their voices are represented and their needs are addressed.,” Ambassador Reddick said.
The Participatory, Responsive Governance project forms the core of USAID’s democracy and governance programming in Niger. USAID works in collaboration with multiple partners, as well as the Government of Niger, to implement activities that promote the public good through formal and informal research, dialogue, and action.
For more information about USAID in Niger and its programs, please visitwww.usaid.gov/niger
The U.S. Agency for International Development is leading the U.S. Government’s efforts to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies
