Katsina commissions EU-funded quick impact project school in Daga, second phase to cover all eight frontline LGs

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The Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has commissioned and symbolically handed over a rehabilitated primary school in Daga Community, Jibia Local Government Area, executed under the European Union (EU)-funded Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response and Resilience (CPCRR) Programme.

The Vice Chairman of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon. Muntari Aliyu Saulawa, who represented the PSC Chairman, Governor Radda, thanked the European Union for funding the project and commended the implementing partners – the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mercy Corps and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) – for their commitment and cooperation.

According to him, the Daga project is one of the 26 Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) initiated under the former Conflict Mitigation and Community Reconciliation (CMCR) Programme, which later transitioned into the current CPCRR Programme.

“All the other 25 projects have been successfully completed, commissioned and handed over to communities in Kankara, Danmusa, Batsari and Jibia Local Government Areas, except this one which experienced some challenges, those challenges have now been overcome, and today we are commissioning and handing over the renovated blocks and newly constructed classrooms to the host community,” he said.

He urged the people of Daga to take full ownership of the facility and ensure its proper maintenance to guarantee sustainability.

The PSC Vice Chairman explained that all projects under the programme were identified by the beneficiary communities and submitted to the implementing partners, in line with the programme’s bottom-up, community-driven approach.

Beyond infrastructure, he noted that the programme also implemented capacity-building and peace-building activities, including training for district heads, village heads, community and religious leaders, as well as youth and women groups. Other interventions covered conflict resolution, leadership development, advocacy and psychosocial support for victims of banditry and gender-based violence.

He further disclosed that a second phase of the programme, the CPCRR, has commenced with the approval of the same donor, the European Union.

“All the eight frontline local government areas in Katsina State have been selected to benefit from the programme. We will continue to uphold the bottom-up approach in the identification and execution of Quick Impact Projects, with the active participation of Community Development Committees,” he assured.

He thanked members of the Project Steering Committee, the implementing partners, traditional and community leaders, and representatives of the media for their support and presence.

Earlier, the Senior Programme Manager of Mercy Corps, Mr. Philip Ikita, said the CPCRR Programme is a continuation of earlier peace-building efforts in the region.

He explained that the programme aims to address the root causes of conflict while strengthening social cohesion, resilience and socio-economic recovery in vulnerable communities.

Ikita noted that the CPCRR Programme is funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with Mercy Corps and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), operating in 48 communities across 10 local government areas in Katsina and Zamfara States.

In Daga Community, he said, Mercy Corps reconstructed and rehabilitated the Government Primary School through a Quick Impact Project (QIP).

“The intervention involved the construction and rehabilitation of two blocks of four classrooms each, provision of desks and chairs, repairs to doors, windows and roofing, as well as improvements to sanitation facilities, safety measures and minor electrical works,” he explained.