By Blessing Bature
The embassy of France in Nigeria has announced the official launch of 2025 French embassy funds for civil society organizations.
The Political Counsellor of embassy of French in Nigeria, Bertrand de seissan in a press conference on Thursday in Abuja said 19 civil society organizations have been selected through a competitive process to implement high- impact projects across diverse Nigerian communities.
He noted that this is In partnership with the COGNITO PROJECT – POD CONSULTING CONSORTIUM, through tailored workshops, coaching, and peer exchange platforms, CSO who will gain important tools for tactical plans.
According to him, the program is aimed at combat gender based violence and promote women’s socio- economic integration; foaster sustainable livelihoods for youth and vulnerable groups etc.
“Since the origin in 2019, the FEF-OSC has supported Nigerian civil society initiative in areas starting from health equity and disability rights to conflict meditation and social cohesion”.
“The embassy’s 2025 group builds on the legacy such as ; Good Health and Well-being, Gender Equality, Partnerships for the Goals etc”.
“In regards to this, the embassy has been partnering for several years with Nigerian civil society, and partners have been often expressed the needs for capacity strengthning to improve their impact, their long lasting results and scale up their activities”.
Also, Cooperation Attach’e, Mrs Ketty Regis said the Embassy of France in Nigeria is implementing a feminist diplomacy beyond the FEF-OSC program, saying all components of our partnership (development, culture, education) aim to be gender inclusive even if not all are directly gender responsive.
She noted, “this approach is co-constructed and shaped by the dialogue with Nigerian counterparts, saying Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has been an active partner as a member of the steering committee, delivering key insights and feedback allowing successful launch of the program.
“Nigerian communities and civil society organizations are identifying needs in terms of enforcement of gender-protection laws and developing solutions to address challenges through support to Nigerian institutions, saying by prioritizing gender equality and women’s empowerment, the programme directly aligns with France’s feminist diplomacy, aiming for systemic change rather than short-term fixes.
She said French embassy remain committed to enhancing people’s voices, fostering development and strengthening ties between the people of France and Nigeria through solidarity and shared values.
