Empower Makoko Fishing Community

Summary

Subsequent to closing, the DoGood.Africa team has moved swiftly to commence the process of implementing the Empower Makoko Community Project (the “Project”) by engaging the leadership and other stakeholders within the community to ensure their alignment with the aim of the Project. Highlights of key activities within the period are presented below:

• Community engagement and approval of the Baale (Community Head) was obtained for project implementation
• The services of Taiwo, a community member and the son of the Baale, were procured as on-the-ground Project Manager. An agreement was signed in this regard for a compensation
• Fishing equipment vendors were identified, and fishing equipment including fishing nets and hooks, rain boots, and life jackets were procured
• Two boat builders were also commissioned to build a total of 10 large size boats. These have now been completed and boat builders have been fully settled
• The services of a painter were also procured to brand the fishing equipment. This has been done and the last batch of boats are being painted and branded. This is expected to be completed during the course of the coming week

However, facilitating the execution of the project was not without difficulties. Some of the challenges faced so far include:

• Boat cost overrun: The cost of building a boat exceeded our budget by 8,500 per boat. This was linked to the high cost of wood during the period. This challenge was however offset by cost savings from other equipment and the DoGood.Africa Team’s conservative approach to ensuring the most value is obtained at a minimal cost
• Timeline for implementation: This was extended by a week due to delays in the completion of the boats
• Security and Environment: concerns around safety and security limited the frequency of the Team’s visit to the community. Situated on the Lagos Lagoon, there are also concerns around how best to carry out successful commissioning of the project within the community. Effective strategies are however being considered.

 Key Next Steps

• Finalise on painting and branding services
• Intensify awareness efforts toward project implementation on 21 December 2019
• Finalise on the best approach to ensuring maximum impact from project implementation.