press-release

COUNTERPART INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES USAID RESILIENT GOVERNANCE IN NIGER PROGRAM AWARD

March 17, 2021

ARLINGTON, VA., March 17, 2021 – Counterpart International today announced that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded it the Resilient Governance in Niger (RGN) activity. This five-year, $19M award, will support responsive local government in Niger. The program’s goal is to strengthen the social contract between state and citizens and enhance individual, household, and community resilience in 19 communes in the Maradi and Zinder regions.

The Resilient Governance in Niger project is part of USAID’s Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced program, which supports vulnerable communities in Burkina Faso and Niger to effectively prepare for and manage recurrent crises and pursue sustainable pathways out of poverty.

The core of Counterpart’s unique technical design will strengthen the capacity of communal governments to act as resilient hubs for inclusive local development in Niger. As resilient hubs, they will lead local development by bringing together civil society, the private sector, other tiers of government, donors, and broader stakeholders to support locally-defined priorities.

“U.S. foreign assistance to Niger plays a critical role in preserving stability in a country vulnerable to political volatility, the spread of violent extremism, food insecurity, and regional instability,” says Michael Barluk, Director of the Governance Portfolio at Counterpart International. “USAID assistance through projects like RGN strengthens and promotes democracy and good governance. Counterpart is thrilled to continue our long-standing partnership with USAID and the Government of Niger to save lives, reduce poverty, and strengthen democracy.”

RGN’s programmatic activities will:

  • Help communal authorities, traditional leaders, and regional representatives of the Government of Niger to better understand their roles and responsibilities, coordinate their interventions, and increase the transfer of resources to subnational government;
  • Improve the planning, management, budget execution, and resource mobilization capacity of communal governments; and
  • Enhance citizens and local civic actors’ awareness of their rights, agency, and ability to exercise these rights.

The project will be led by Mr. Ousmane Kabèlè Camara as Chief of Party. Mr. Camara specializes in in connecting civil society with local, regional, and national governments to address and respond to citizen priority needs through more accountable and inclusive governance.

About Counterpart International
For over 55 years, Counterpart International has forged partnerships with communities and local organizations to build inclusive, sustainable communities in which people thrive. Our current project portfolio is focused on education, food security and agricultural development, effective governance, institutional strengthening, and economic development.

For more information, please visit counterpart.org.