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LEAD-Nigeria is one of the Global LEAD Programme which was established in 1991 by the Rockefeller Foundation of New York as the Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD). The Mission of LEAD is to create, strengthen, and support networks of people and institutions promoting change towards sustainable development – economically sound, environmentally responsible and socially equitable. As part of our Organization’s objective, we also engage in Research, Consultancy and Action Projects to boost our financial base. LEAD is hosted in Nigeria by the Foundation for Environmental Development and Education in Nigeria (FEDEN), a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) established in 1991 (Cert No. 6705 of 30/3/92) to promote awareness on the environment and sustainable development in Nigeria and enhance the building of local capacity required to drive the nation’s transition to a more sustainable development.
FEDEN at its inception had a National Board of Directors made up of eminent Nigerians with Chief A.Y. Eke a renowned diplomat as the first Chairman. Professor Akin Adesola, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos took over after Chief Eke left the scene. Currently, Chief (Mrs) Opral Mason Benson, an educationist, business-woman and philanthropist is the Chairperson. Others eminent Nigerians that had had the opportunity of serving on the Board of FEDEN were Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, Dr. A. Lamorde, Ambassador O. Fafowora, Erelu O. Aina, Professor A.M.A. Imevbore, Professor K.A. Wahab, Professor T.G.O. Gbadamosi, Dr. (Mrs) O. Aribisala and Ambassador Sa’ad Fatima Abubakar. Current members not yet mentioned comprised of Chief (Dr.) E. Amana, Dr. S. Adenekan, and Ms. Anne Ene-Ita. Professor Adeniyi Osuntogun, a former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation from inception to-date.
LEAD-Nigeria’s compliment of staff, short-term facilitators, and experts is unarguably a major strength in the area of capacity building and stake-holders consultations. Over the last fifteen years, LEAD-Nigeria successfully organized and conducted capacity building sessions and stake-holders dialogues, seminars, and workshops and, with its pool of intellectual experts, has trained over one hundred and fifty-four (154) Fellows who have recorded noteworthy achievements in their professional career and individual advancement. All of them had a common goal of becoming agents of change committed to laudable objectives of raising environmental awareness generally and contributing effectively to policy and decision making processes in Nigeria.
The base of LEAD-Nigeria Fellows is found in Business (Multinationals), Industrial Sector, the Banking Sector, Small and Medium Enterprises owned by Fellows themselves, the Media, Government, Universities, Academic and Research Institutes, and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). LEAD-Nigeria Fellows have also continued to discharge their roles as apostles of sustainability, good leadership, and the propagation of sustainable development ideals and best practices. They are therefore making impacts in their various organizations, communities, professions, and at national levels. Some of the fellows have influenced their organizations to organize and/or sponsor dialogues, workshops and conferences on Contemporary Sustainable Development issues and challenges.
Our curriculum and training modules are best known for unique approach to training, combining leadership skills like team building and negotiation with a practical view of sustainable development. We include in the training sessions representatives of relevant government agencies and research institutes in order to ensure effective integration with centers of excellence in Nigeria. A number of thematic and skill building CD-ROMs are available to consolidate training materials and format them for external and internal use. They contain background materials, case studies, activities, videos and other visual materials on Leadership, Environment and Development.
For Research, Consultancy and Action Projects, we take advantage, in addition to those of the subject matter specialists and expertise of Board members, of the collective impact of 146 LEAD-Nigeria Fellows on sustainable development in all the major sectors of the Nigerian economy, which is a plus to our technical capability. LEAD-Nigeria Fellows Forum created an enabling environment for a wider network of future leaders committed to sustainable development and has created high visibility for the LEAD Programme in Nigeria. As for infrastructure, we have office facilities, big lecture rooms, computer and information technology and facilities rooms, library and reception. We maintain a databank of experts on various subject matters in leadership, environment and development. We also deploy our expertise to provide effective complement to such initiatives of government organs in bringing to appreciable level, the present low level of environmental awareness, conservation and protection. These are carried out at both state and local government levels.
COMPLETED PROJECTS
The following are some of our completed projects:
- Study of Mothers Club / Women’s Group in WATSAN States, Nigeria (1999) commissioned by UNICEF, Lagos, Nigeria
- Promoting Environmental Sustainability in Development in West Africa: An Evaluation of World Bank’s Performance (2000) sponsored by the World Bank and DFID, UK
- Skill Building on Conflict Resolution and Management in Lagos Zone (southwest Nigeria) and Kaduna Zones (north central Nigeria) (2002) financed by the World Bank Mission, Nigeria.
- Environmental Economics and Policy (EEP) Training of Trainers’ Workshop (1999) sponsored by World Bank/Network of Environmental Economist of West Africa.
- Participatory Rural Appraisal/Needs Assessment on HIV/AIDS at Ogbomoshotedo Community in Alimoso Local Government, Lagos State (2006) funded by UNDP.
- Commission for Africa Consultative Forum (cfa Lagos Event) held in Lagos in May 2005.
PROJECTS AT CONCEPTION STAGES
There are several projects at different progressions including those on Sustainable Energy and Rural Development, Impact of Climate Change on Nigerian Agriculture, Rural Livelihoods through Watershed Management, and Managing Conflicts in Community based natural resources unit
TRANSFORMATION TO LEAD-ANGLOPHONE WEST AFRICA
In 2006, LEAD-Nigeria formally transformed into LEAD-Anglophone West Africa to make the programme to cover all English-speaking countries in West Africa – Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia. Network centers are currently being established in these countries in order to achieve sub-regional coverage in the West African sub-region. This will give more candidates in the sub-region the opportunity of participating in the global LEAD Programme and to acquire the necessary competence to make impact on the civil society and on public policy institutions in the sub-region.
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