Okonjo-Iweala, Others Hail Mercy Corps for Humanitarian Milestones in Nigeria
James Emejo in Abuja

James Emejo in Abuja

The Director-General, World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has commended the Mercy Corps Nigeria (MCN) for its milestones in humanitarian interventions in the country.

Okonjo-Iweala, specifically commended the Country Director of the organisation, Mr. Ndubisi Anyanwu, for his leadership and enthusiasm in reaching the most vulnerable in Nigeria with lifesaving assistance.

In her virtual address at the 10th-anniversary celebration of MCN in Abuja over the weekend, the WTO DG, pointed out that the corps had, “reached out to the North-east, North-west and North-central states, and more recently, to the South-south and South-east.”

She, therefore, urged the organisation to keep the good work going into the next fruitful decade of serving humanity.Okonjo-Iweala said, “As a former member of the Mercy Corps family, I am so happy to congratulate you on this 10th anniversary.“I am proud of the work Mercy Corps is doing globally but more importantly in Nigeria.”

“Thank you so much for the good work you do. I want to congratulate the Country Director, Ndubisi Anyanwu in particular for his leadership and enthusiasm.”Also, addressing the gathering virtually, Mercy Corps Africa Regional Director, Sean Granville-Ross, alongside other dignitaries, congratulated the Nigerian team and tasked them to do more within the next decade.

Granville-Ross said, “I am taking a moment to congratulate you on your 10th anniversary. I am looking forward to what you do in the next 10 years to contribute to the development of Nigeria.

“Mercy Corps Nigeria has a special team with huge potential, massive opportunities and so I look forward to the future and all the best.”Anyanwu, however, noted that its 10 years of operation in the country entailed “working in difficult contexts to improve the lives of the most vulnerable” and “solving tough and complex challenges”.

He said the organisation was registered in 2012, starting with a small team and office in Wuse II, under the leadership of the Country Director, Rafael Garcia who worked tirelessly to ensure it received more funding and got recognised in the International NGO space.

He, however, said Mercy Corps is currently implementing projects in 11 states including Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, and Lagos as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and is already expanding to the South-South and South-East region in few months.

The country director said, “In the last four years, Mercy Corps Nigeria has partnered with government, communities, and the private sector to contribute to five strategic objectives including addressing root causes of conflict majorly in North-Central and North-West; responding to humanitarian needs in Northeast Nigeria; developing sustainable livelihoods and market systems development; empowering young people by prioritising and engaging more meaningfully across all our programmes and lastly, increasing the trust and accountability between citizens and government across states where we implement.”

He said, “We are able to do all of this because of the continuous support and funding from our donors, support and partnership from the government and people of Nigeria, and because of the dedicated staff who have continued to ensure quality programming across all our intervention sites.

“The vision has been a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient and secure. And this has been our watchword ever since. Come 2023, we have plans in place to continue working with our partners and donors to achieve this vision.”