ELD MOOC 2015 – Options and Pathways for Action: Stakeholder Engagement

ELD MOOC 2015 – Options and Pathways for Action: Stakeholder Engagement

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT

A Case study of the Niger Delta Oil exploration activities and Environmental Degradation in the Niger Delta Catchment, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Group MembersCountry

  1. Okello Patrick OwinoKenya
  2. Svenja SchoeGermany
  3. Kong Sreyrath
  4. Grace MbenaTanzania
  5. Melody Burns

Submitted to ELD Facilitators

June 2015

Table of Content

1.0.BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.1.Description of the study Area

1.1.1.Description of the Niger Delta ecosystem and Services

1.1.2.Major causes of degradation and the main effects

2.0. STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS – THEIR POWER

2.1. Stakeholders identification

2.1.1. List of major stakeholders in the Delta in Relation to the Ecosystem Services and Functions.

2.2. Stakeholder categorization using interest-influence matrices approach

2.3. Stakeholder analysis using influence matrix

2.3.1. The following is a summary of key roles played by stakeholders in the Niger Delta.

2.3.2. The stakeholder influence matrix analysis

3.0. STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION PROCESS

3.1. Material to prepare ahead of the discussion

3.1.1. Communication Objective

3.1.2. Level and type of stakeholder engagement

3.1.3. Stakeholder motivation

3.1.4. Description of the Communication material

3.2. Setting up effective communication

3.2.1. Areas of Common Interest

3.2.2. Type of Language

3.2.3. Format of Communication

3.2.4. Communication Mechanism

3.2.5. Propose when and what to communicate

4.0. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS

4.1. Introduction

4.2. Stakeholder Analysis and Selection

4.3. Process of Stakeholder Engagement and identification of facilitation needs

4.3.1. Brief Introduction on stakeholder engagement

4.3.2. Stakeholder Facilitation needs

4.3.3. Qualities of a Good Facilitator

4.3.4. Principle to guide stakeholder engagement

4.3.5. Niger Delta stakeholder engagement process

5.0. ENGAGEMENT PLAN FINANCING

5.1. Stakeholder Engagement Budget

6.0. STAKEHOLDER EVALUATION CRITERIA

7.0. NIGER DELTA STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK

8.0. RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 - Niger Delta stakeholders list

Table 2 - Stakeholder categorization

Table 3 - Stakeholder analysis matrix

Table 4 - Materials for Stakeholder engagement

Table 5 - Stakeholder Selection and Relationship

Table 6 - Stakeholder Engagement Budget

Table 7 - Stakeholder Evaluation Criteria

Table 8 - Stakeholder Engagement Plan Implementation Framework

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 - Niger Delta Map

Figure 2 - Mangrove Degradation by oil fires

Figure 3 - Loss of aquatic fauna and arable lands

Figure 4 - Locals using oil contaminated water

Figure 5 - Community engagement process

1.0.BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.1.Description of the study Area

The Niger Delta is a wetland area in the south of Nigeria, Africa. Nine states make up the Niger Delta and it covers an area of approximately 70,000 km2, about 7.5% of Nigeria's land mass. Oil was discovered in Nigeria’s largest wetland region around 40 years ago. Oil spills are common in Nigeria; estimated 7,000 spills were recorded between 1970 and 2000. Investments in preventing pollution are poor and spills with thousands of barrels of oil occur every year.

An average of 240,000 barrels of crude oil are spilled in the Niger delta every year, mainly due to unknown causes (31.85%), third party activity (20.74%), and mechanical failure (17.04%). The spills contaminates the surface water, ground water, ambient air, and crops with hydrocarbons, including known carcinogens like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and benxo, pyrene, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and trace metals that are further bioaccumulated in some food crops.

The delta is home to 20 million people, local indigenous activities and concerns against petroleum giants often result in violent disputes. Local communities are facing problems such as no access to safe drinking water (due to poor sanitation and pollution), poor infrastructure and education. The majority of Delta residents live in poverty and the oil operations affect their traditional livelihoods.

Figure 1 - Niger Delta Map

1.1.1.Description of the Niger Delta ecosystem and Services

Mainly Wetland and its ecological zones are the coastal barrier islands, mangroves swamp forest, freshwater swamps, and lowland rainforest. Its key services include Provisioning of: food, fresh water and fuel mineral resources.

1.1.2.Major causes of degradation and the main effects

The oil industry in the Niger Delta presents a huge threat to people’s health and well-being, their livelihood and the environment. Oil drilling practice and oil spills are a major cause of land degradation, - as well their lack of investments in order to create more jobs, build more facilities to local people, etc.-, large areas of mangrove forest and rainforest have been destroyed due to oil spills. Also farmland and aquacultures are impacted by oil spills due to water/groundwater and soil contamination, destroying food supply and livelihoods. Further land degradation hazards are erosion, flood and salt water intrusion. This can be summarized as follows:

  1. Destruction and loss of Mangrove Flora

An estimated 10% of Nigerian mangroveecosystemshave been wiped out by increasing unplanned settlements a result of oil companies attracting large cheap labor and by oil drilling which as released more negative substances affecting the soil where the mangrove grows. Damage to mangrove forests varies with the amount and toxicity of the spilled oil product. The degree of impact is a function of oil type, spill volume, duration or re-oiling, extent of oil coverage on exposed roots, degree of substrate oiling (NRC, 2003). Many species of plants and animals within the mangrove forest have become endangered or at the verge of extinction.

Figure 2 - Mangrove Degradation by oil fires

  1. Destruction of Arable crops and Aquaculture

Studies suggests that oil spills could lead to a 60% reduction in household food security and are capable of reducing the ascorbic acid content of vegetables by as much as 36% and the crude protein content of cassava by 40%. Oil Spills in populated areas often spread out over a wide area, destroying crops andaquaculturesthrough contamination of thegroundwaterand soils. The consumption of dissolved oxygen bybacteriafeeding on the spilledhydrocarbonsalso contributes to the death offish. Inagriculturalcommunities, often a year's supply of food can be destroyed instantaneously. Because of the careless nature of oil operations in the Delta, the environment is growing increasingly uninhabitable.

Figure 3 - Loss of aquatic fauna and arable lands

  1. Human Health Implications

People in the affected areas complain about health issues including breathing problems and skin lesions; many have lost basic human rights such as health, access to food, clean water, and an ability to work. In fact studies shows thatthere could be 24% increase in the prevalence of childhood malnutrition since thecrude oil could be hemotoxic and hepatotoxic, and could cause infertility and cancer.

Figure 4 - Locals using oil contaminated water

  1. Displacement of local population from ancestral lands

Increased exploration and expansion has greatly affected the livelihood of the indigenous people who depend on the ecosystem services for survival leading to increased poverty and displacement of people. Some past spills have necessitated the complete relocation of some communities, loss of ancestral homes, pollution of fresh water, loss of forest and agricultural land, destruction of fishing grounds and reduction of fish population, which is the major source of income for the Niger Delta people. Which all constitute massive unquantifiable losses to farmers, fishermen and hunters (Ukoli, 2005). This has been source of conflict between the locals, Government and oil companies since the local population is not benefiting from the oil companies.

2.0. STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS – THEIR POWER

Stakeholder analysis is about identifying all persons, groups and institutions who may have an interest in a project or area and taking steps to manage their interests and expectations so that the project runs as smoothly as possible. It’s also defined as theprocess of identifying the individuals or groups that are likely to affect or be affected by a proposed action, and sorting them according to their impact on the action and the impact the action will have on them. Stakeholder identification and analysis is best conducted using brainstorming techniques. This procedure is generally carried out in a workshop setting, with representatives of key participants in a project. The first step is to list all parties which are likely to be affected by the development, both positively or negatively, directly or indirectly.

2.1. Stakeholders identification

2.1.1. List of major stakeholders in the Delta in Relation to the Ecosystem Services and Functions.

No. / Stakeholder / Stakeholder Type / Description / Relationship to land
1 / Western trans-national oil companies.
  • Royal Dutch Shell
  • ExxonMobil
  • ChevronTexaco
  • Agip
  • Total
/ Private / Oil and gas exploration and human capital development / Active exploitation of mineral resources
2 / Nigeria Federal Government / Public / Represented chiefly by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries, in which the government holds an average 60 percent equity share with the rest owned by its expatriate partners. Statutorily, ownership of oil and all mineral resources in Nigeria is vested in the federal state / Policy and legislation, statutory ownership of mineral resources, and regulation.
3 / Niger Indeginous community / Public / Land owners and users. / Economic exploitation of land resources for social development.
4 / Nigeria local business people / Private / Interested in oil and gas business and benefit economicaly from it. / Indirectly depend on oil and gas generated from the land for economic and social development
5 / CBI – Consensus Building Institute / Private / Involved in conflict resolution or mediating between the local community and other stakeholders. / Social and economic protection of right for equitable resource distribution through mediation.
6 / The tourist both international and domestic / Private / Benefit from serene ecosystem services which they see. Contribute to economic development through foreign inflows / Social and economic development of land and its resources
7 / Religious Leaders / Private / Opinion makers on social and economic issues or policies / Policy development, social empowerement and advocate for nature protection
8 / Nigeria Environmental Agency / Private / Public / Including Ministry of Energy, environment and natural resources. Involved in policy formulation, legislation and enforcement for conservation and protection of the ecosystem / Policy formulation, legislation, code regulation and enforcement
9 / Agricultural Agencies / Private / Public / Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and other stakeholders advocating for agricultural productivity and food security. / Food security and agricultural productivity enhancment, human capital development and capacity building
10 / NGOs / Private / Mostly those advocating for human rights and protection, human capital development and employment and those advocating for Natural resource managment and environmental conservation. / Social development and advocacy, capacity building and rights protection.

Table 1 - Niger Delta stakeholders list

2.2. Stakeholder categorization using interest-influence matrices approach

The following approach, will be used in analysing the influence or power and importance/roles of the Niger Delta Stakeholders. This approach groups the stakeholders importance and influence in the Niger Delta Oil exploration based on four premises – Protect, Good Relation, Low Priority and Monitor. This premises are derived from the importance or role played by each stakeholder in the Delta Catchment and further classified as either low or high influence or importance. This appraoch will help in forming a stakeholder matrix showing the power of stakeholders in the Delta catchmnet and oil industry.

Table 2 - Stakeholder categorization

2.3. Stakeholder analysis using influence matrix

This analysis will consider the power or influence of stakeholders in the Delta oil industry, the Delta as a catchment with all its ecosystem functions and the indeginous community as directly and indirectly influenced by other stakeholders. A matrix tool approach will be used to perform the task, based on previous stakeholder analysis approach that grouped the stakeholders based on their influence and importance in the catchment.

2.3.1. The following is a summary of key roles played by stakeholders in the Niger Delta.

  • Environmental and land degradation
  • Legislation and policy formulation
  • Oil and Gas exploration
  • Regulation of oil and gas activities
  • Human capital development and employment
  • Good governance and citizen rights protection
  • Environmental protection and management
  • Conflict resolution among parties
  • Equitable distribution of Resources in the Delta
  • Statutory ownership of oil and all mineral resources

2.3.2. The stakeholder influence matrix analysis

Stakeholder
Group / Stakeholder Impact or Power on following issues in Niger Delta Catchment
Environment and land degradation / Oil and Gas activities / Governance and citizen protection / Environment protection and management / Regulation of Oil activities / Statutory ownership of resources / Human capital development and employment / Conflict Resolution / Equitable Resource Distribution
Indeginous community / √ / √
Nigeria Federal Government / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
Western Oil companies / √ / √ / √
Religious leaders / √
NGOs / √ / √ / √
Environmental Agencies / √ / √
Agricultural Agencies / √
Tourists / √ / √
Local Politicians / √ / √ / √ / √ / √
CBI – Consensus Building Institute / √ / √ / √ / √

Table 3 - Stakeholder analysis matrix

Note // The (√) has been used to indicate impact or influence of stakeholder groups on each of the issues of concern in the entire Niger Delta Catchment. That signify the power the stakeholders control in the catchmnet.

Above matrix analysis, is important when developing sustainable land managment plans or policies for the Delta catchment, since every role stakeholders play and influence is taken into consideration. This is also important in conflict resolution and management.

3.0. STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATION PROCESS

3.1. Material to prepare ahead of the discussion

3.1.1. Communication Objective

Improved productivity of current land use through adoption of alternative land management practices. The objective may be achieved by the use of economic instruments, the facilitation of change through adaptation by decision-makers of the legal, social and political environment, facilitation of change through development of human and institutional capacity, and/or facilitation of change through information exchange. Different pathways to sustainable land management can be conceptualized, considering current and alternative livelihoods for the Niger Delta, to create a list of possible impact pathways for enabling action.

3.1.2. Level and type of stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder participation can take various forms and levels. For the Niger Delta stakeholder engagement process a two-ways communication between participants and organizers will be used to create a dialogue with information exchange and active participation in discussions. Participating stakeholders have the opportunity to influence the final outcome.

3.1.3. Stakeholder motivation

The successful and active engagement of stakeholders in a research project also depends on stakeholder motivation. Different individuals or groups may have different reasons to participate in the process. It is important to identify and understand the motivation and expectations over the benefits they could derive from their participation, this will facilitate knowledge sharing, dialogue and solution-finding.

3.1.4. Description of the Communication material

Material requirement will depend on meeting Venue, mode of discussion relating to identified stakeholders, Mode of presentation, Reporting and publication thereafter for future reference and documentation.

Content / Format (mode / channel of communication) / How suited to each identified stakeholder is it? / Built-in flexibility element
Objective of SLM / Verbal using flip charts, Manila papers and Marker pens / Easy to use and interact with and cost effective / Information can be erased or edited, ease of disposal and can be stored for reference
Interviews from affected communities / Audio Cassettes / Easy and cheap to produce and easy to localize information / can be used in conjunction with local dialect radio for future reference too
Presentation on oil degradation on the catchment / Video and printed materials or pictures / Can be taken home for permanent use and Highly persuasive, / This will create good awareness and interaction
General land degradation and alternative land use options discussion / Use flip charts, formal dialogue and Manila papers / Interactive and participatory method / Enhances belonging and ownership

Table 4 - Materials for Stakeholder engagement

3.2. Setting up effective communication

3.2.1. Areas of Common Interest

The stakeholder involved in the Niger Delta are centered around a common interest, but also all have very specific and individual needs, concerns and issues which need be addressed. The land in the Niger Delta is highly degraded, some stakeholders (such as farmers) have a very fundamental interest: securing their livelihood. Oil companies have a more business orientated interest and NGOs are more concerned about human rights and environmental issues.

3.2.2. Type of Language

Nigeria is a country of various cultures and languages. In order to involve local communities/indigenous people to the largest extend possible a language needs to be chose that all understand, translators need to be hired to make sure proper communicate between English speaking people (for example representatives from oil corporations) and local people (e.g. farmers) who may not be literate in English is ensured. Cultural characteristics need to be understood before the start of the engagement process to understand each stakeholder better.

3.2.3. Format of Communication

A diverse format of communication will be used for the stakeholder engagement process in the Niger Delta. As not all stakeholder might be illiterate, oral communication is essential in the process. Written reports and emails can be used and communicated to stakeholders such as oil companies, government and NGOs. The usage of visual communication formats (pictures, videos or drawings) will help to communicate to indigenous people and other stakeholders with a less academic background, these communication tools will be more accessible to this group of stakeholders as information can be communicated in a more tangible way.

3.2.4. Communication Mechanism

At the very beginning of the engagement process communication rules will be provided to all participating stakeholders in order to maintain an environment of trust, respect and understanding for each other. These guiding principles for communication include the following: