In a significant move towards inclusivity and equity, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has announced that women will make up 45% of the workforce in its upcoming phase of environmental remediation projects in Ogoniland.
Project Coordinator Professor Nenibarini Zabbey made the announcement during a visit by Dr. Otive Igbuzor, Founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), alongside representatives of various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), at the HYPREP Coordination Office in Port Harcourt, on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
Zabbey noted that the proportion of women involved in HYPREP activities has increased substantially—from just 5% to 45%—as part of efforts to address historical gender disparities and engage underserved groups, including persons with disabilities.
To further support this inclusion, HYPREP has initiated vocational training for people with disabilities in five skill areas: fish farming, computer literacy, photography, fashion and design, and shoemaking. The training programs follow a needs assessment conducted with the communities.
He reaffirmed HYPREP’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and active stakeholder engagement. According to him, collaboration with communities and civil society will strengthen the agency’s environmental remediation and livelihood restoration efforts.
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Zabbey highlighted key progress made across several thematic areas, including land and groundwater remediation, shoreline cleanup, mangrove restoration, capacity building and sustainable livelihoods.
Others he said are, provision of potable water, infrastructure projects such as the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration (CEER), Ogoni Specialist Hospital, Buan Cottage Hospital, and the Ogoni Power Project.
On potable water delivery, Zabbey announced that five new water projects have been completed in Eteo, Taabaa, Uegwere-Boue, Bodo, and Bane. These facilities are scheduled for commissioning in August.
He also urged civil society organisations to develop advocacy and awareness campaigns around the Project, stressing that HYPREP continues to partner with local and international universities, research institutions, regulators, and communities to deliver a sustainable environmental cleanup.
In his remarks, Dr. Igbuzor described the visit as a call for renewed commitment and collective action.
He emphasized the need for transparent, accountable efforts in the environmental restoration of Ogoniland and the broader Niger Delta region.
Igbuzor pledged Centre LSD’s support for HYPREP through advocacy, monitoring, and community mobilisation, expressing optimism that collaborative efforts will yield tangible results in the ongoing cleanup process.
