The French Embassy in Nigeria on Friday donated €1 million, approximately N1.8 billion, to 19 civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria to drive grassroots development.

The fund, called the French Embassy Fund for Civil Society Organisation (FEF-OSC), now in its sixth year, is part of the embassy’s partnership with Nigerian CSOs.

According to Bertrand de Seissan, the political counsellor at the French embassy, the initiative will provide targeted financial and technical support to empower local organisations to tackle pressing challenges, such as gender inequality, economic vulnerability, and community resilience.

This year’s edition has scaled up significantly, with 19 CSOs selected through a competitive process to implement high-impact projects across diverse communities.

Each selected initiative will receive a one-year grant focusing on both immediate results and long-term institutional strengthening.

The fund’s three key programme priorities include combating gender-based violence and promoting women’s socio-economic integration, fostering sustainable livelihoods for youth and vulnerable groups and strengthening community resilience through advocacy and partnership.

In collaboration with the Cognito Project-POD Consulting Consortium, the programme embeds a robust capacity-building component.

“Through tailored workshops, coaching, and peer exchange platforms, CSOs will gain essential tools for strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, financial accountability, and impact storytelling.

“At its core, this initiative is about the people – the women, men, and youth whose lives are being transformed by the bold and compassionate projects led by local CSOs,” he said.

Similarly, Ketty Regis, the cooperation attaché for the French Embassy, said that for the sustainability of the programme, the embassy is working closely with the Ministry of Women Affairs through capacity building of  CSOs.

She added that France’s support for feminist diplomacy has helped promote equal access to rights and opportunities, contributing to development and addressing structural challenges to equality in France and Nigeria.

Ms Regis added that the initiatives are the result of mutual learning between French and Nigerian actors of change, whether at the institutional level, with political commitment, or through community-based solutions to collective challenges.

“Best practices and great entrepreneurial spirit can be found everywhere. This is why we are eager to cultivate the friendship between France and Nigeria by building an alliance for our mutual benefit and collective progress,’’ she said.

(NAN)