The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), in collaboration with the Ford Foundation, has convened regulators, Host Community Development Trusts (HCDTs), oil and gas companies, and civil society organisations to agree practical steps for sustaining reforms in host-community governance and advancing implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

The PIND’s Bridges Project HCDT Impact Summit, held in Port Harcourt under the theme, “From Evidence to Sustainability: Consolidating HCDT Gains and Advancing Effective PIA Implementation,” reviewed evidence from the project, identified persistent institutional challenges and defined responsibilities for carrying successful practices forward after the project closes.

Participants examined findings from outcome harvesting, the HCDT Impact Evidence Report, case studies and other project knowledge products before working through a Sustainability Clinic on governance, performance tracking, peer learning, stakeholder coordination and capacity strengthening.
Speaking at the Summit, PIND’s Programs Director, Dr Effiong Essien, said the true measure of the Bridges Project would be whether its gains endure beyond the project cycle.
He said the progress made by HCDTs must translate into stronger institutions, better community participation and more accountable development.

According to him, sustainability now depends on stakeholders taking ownership of the tools, relationships and practices that have been built, while committing the resources and leadership required to keep them working.
Essien said through awareness-raising, capacity strengthening and Multi-Stakeholder Platforms, the Bridges Project has supported HCDT operationalisation, participatory planning, improved governance practices and stronger collaboration among communities, regulators, settlers and civil society actors.

At the Summit, selected HCDTs presented evidence-based accounts of changes achieved at community level and the challenges that remain.
Reflecting on the community-level experience, Chairman of Emuoha HCDT, Mr. Smart Okpara, said the project had strengthened the Trust’s ability to plan, engage stakeholders and account for results.
“Bridges has given us practical tools to improve our governance, involve our communities in decision-making and track the results of our development investments. Our responsibility now is to keep using these systems and ensure that the progress continues beyond the project,” he said.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), settlors and civil society organisations also shared lessons and priorities for improving PIA implementation.
Speaking on the regulatory implications, Deputy Director, representing NUPRC, Mr. Kingsley Ehiaguina, said the summit’s evidence and lessons could strengthen HCDT performance and compliance.
According to him, effective implementation of the PIA requires HCDTs that are transparent, accountable and responsive to their host communities.

He said the lessons emerging from The Bridges project provide a useful basis for improving practice, strengthening stakeholder coordination and sustaining compliance.
The engagement produced a Sustainability Framework assigning proposed responsibilities for continued governance strengthening, monitoring and evaluation, peer learning, knowledge management, capacity development and stakeholder coordination.