By Babakura Bukar, Maiduguri uptake lead

The Maiduguri research uptake team of the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) held a one-day stakeholder engagement meeting on 30 November 2022, where they presented key findings from the research carried out in the city. 

Stakeholder participants were drawn from various government agencies, security establishments, civil society organisations (CSOs), religious and traditional circles, political leadership, people living with disability (PLWD), youth organisations and a representation of internally displaced people (IDPs). The engagement was intended to elicit stakeholders’ responses, with the aim that their contributions will play a key part in devising solutions to the problems identified in the presentations.

ACRC has undertaken social research in Maiduguri and environs to generate insights and evidence that will seek to help improve living conditions, services and life chances of city residents, particularly disadvantaged ones in post-conflict Maiduguri. The research covered Maiduguri Metropolitan, parts of Jere, Mafa and Konduga that surround the state Capital.

The ACRC team members briefed key stakeholders on the Maiduguri project, with an overview of the research findings presented by the following team leads:

• Kingsley Madueke – Safety and security domain (virtual presentation) 
• Imrana A. Buba – Youth and capability development domain (presentation delivered by Yahaya Abubakar)
• Abubakar Monguno – Land and connectivity domain
• Haruna Ayuba – Political settlements
• Joseph Wilson – Safeguarding

The stakeholders were invited to make their observations and comments, enabling the domain leads to collate their views and contributions ahead of the validation workshop held on 9 December.

Participants engaged with the presentations, especially on the issues around land laws, the land tenure crisis, and related post-insurgency issues of security in returned communities, land grabbing, and youth engagement in socioeconomic development programmes.