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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Benue State Government has entered into a strategic partnership with Fortress360, a social enterprise organisation, alongside the Justice Development and Peace Caritas Initiative (JDPCI), to enhance humanitarian support and build sustainable pathways for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.
At a high-powered tripartite meeting in Makurdi, involving key heads of relevant State Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the Director-General of the Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD), Dr. Leo-Angelo Viashima, described Fortress360 as the ‘linchpin’ of the state’s renewed push to deliver impactful social investment.
Viashima explained that Fortress360 would act as more than just a partner explaining that the organisation would function as a scout and technical backbone for BICD, identifying funding opportunities, helping to draft proposals and providing advisory services to enable growth across multiple sectors.
He expressed hope that their partnership would facilitate increased entries into the state social register, especially for IDPs from Yelewata community.
Executive Director, Fortress360, Dr. Paul Nyulaku, said it would carry out needs assessments among IDPs in the coming days to determine skills gaps, evaluate local economies and map out what kinds of support; training, economic, psychosocial, are most urgently needed.
He said the goal is to help the state government deliver on Governor Hyacinth Alia’s vision of inclusive investment that spans both capital and social development.
According to him, “Together with JDPCI, Fortress360 will also work to strengthen state institutions, such as the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA), the State Rehabilitation Board, Women Affairs and the Bureau for Wealth Creation and Entrepreneurship, so that interventions for IDPs become more sustainable.”
The Executive Director of JDPCI Abuja, Rev. Fr. Sebastian Sanni emphasised that the collaboration aims to empower people in IDP camps not only through material or technical assistance, but also through psycho-spiritual support and skill-acquisition programmes.
Representatives of the various MDAs at the meeting commended Fortress360’s central role and welcomed the emphasis on technical support, institution building and sustainable livelihoods as promising paths for transforming IDPs’ situations in Benue State.
