An international non-governmental organisation, Qatar Charity Foundation, yesterday, entered into collaboration with Jigawa State Government and Mallam Inuwa Foundation to provide solar-powered water plants, boreholes, hand-pumps, and mosques across the 27 local governments areas in the state.
The three parties agreed on the partnership during a meeting at the Jigawa State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
The collaboration borders on ways of supplying and installing solar-powered water systems, installation of pumping and boreholes for the benefit of millions people in various communities in the state.
According to the terms of the partnership, the host communities that will benefit from the project are to be coordinated by the state government and Mallam Inuwa Foundation to ensure all the identified locations have free access to clean and potable water, Juma’at and five-daily prayer, mosques and other social development projects.
Speaking at the ceremony, Jigawa State Governor, Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar, said the initiative was in furtherance of his administration’s productive engagement and collaboration with international governmental and non-governmental organisations and promised to provide plots of land for the projects.
He said the collaboration was “significant at the moment because it represents the cordial and mutually beneficial relations that exist between Nigeria and the State of Qatar.”
The governor also assured Qatar Charity of support and cooperation of his administration in all the programmes that would boost agricultural production and the farmers’ morale.
He said the projects will uplift the living standards of the people of Jigawa State.
The Qatar Charity Country Director in Nigeria, Hamdi Elsayed, said the project will directly be implemented by Qatar Charity Foundation with the support of the people of Qatar. He said the Foundation will support the state in modern farming, especially irrigation.
Mallam Inuwa Foundation, founded by Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, is a community-based foundation to improve the lives of people in Hadejia Local Government Area of Jigawa State and its environs.
Inuwa Foundation plays a key role in identifying and solving various problems within the community and beyond.
On the other hand, Qatar Charity Foundation comprises a group of philanthropists, who were alarmed by the rising number of children orphaned by wars and conflicts in neighbouring countries.
The philanthropists came together to form a community initiative called, Qatar Charity.
They plan to scale up the initiative, broaden its range of activities and augment its outreach from local to international humanitarian action according to their needs.