As insecurity deepens across Nigeria, a growing number of voices are calling for solutions that start from the grassroots. One of those voices is the Nigeria Local Coalition Accelerator (NLCA), a network of community-based organisations working to put local people at the center of development and humanitarian response.
Speaking during a press briefing in Yola, the NLCA Coordinator, Sir Richard Akase Inyamkume, said the time has come for donors and government agencies to trust and invest more in Nigerian-led initiatives. He explained that while local organisations are often the first to respond during crises, they receive less than 20 percent of available aid and development funding.
“The imbalance in funding and decision-making has slowed our progress as a nation,” he said. “When local actors are trusted and supported, they deliver faster, fairer, and more sustainable results.”
The group is organising the 2025 Nigeria Localisation Donor Roundtables, to be held in Lagos on November 11 and Abuja on November 13, under the theme “Local Power, Global Impact.”
The meetings are expected to bring together representatives from the Federal Government, UN agencies, international donors, private sector leaders, and philanthropic organisations. The goal is to mobilise over ₦5.5 billion to support community-led projects and expand the work of local groups across Nigeria.
According to Inyamkume, empowering local actors is not just about development — it’s about survival. “You can’t fix insecurity from a distance,” he said. “Communities know their realities, they understand the risks, and they have the solutions. What they lack is access to resources.”
The NLCA believes that true progress will come when Nigerians drive their own recovery, rather than relying solely on external interventions. With its partners — the Warande Advisory Foundation of Kenya and The Share Trust Inc. of the USA — the coalition is pushing for a shift in how aid and development are managed in the country.
In a nation where insecurity, poverty, and humanitarian needs continue to rise, the message is clear: lasting peace begins when local people are trusted to lead.
