Mr Andrew Mamedu, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, says the organisation’s 25-year journey has been driven by a commitment to challenge injustice, empower marginalised groups and promote inclusive, community-led development efforts across the country.
Mamedu said this on Thursday at ActionAid’s 25th anniversary celebration in Abuja, where partners, board members and community representatives gathered to reflect on the organisation’s national impact, achievements and growth since its establishment.
“We began with a clear conviction that poverty is not natural and that exclusion must be dismantled,” he said, emphasising that the organisation remained firmly focused on addressing systemic barriers affecting vulnerable people nationwide.
According to him, true development is more than charity; it happens when power shifts from the privileged to the marginalised.
Mamedu reaffirming ActionAid’s commitment to transformative, rights-based development grounded in fairness, dignity, justice and community participation.
“We have chosen to stand with women denied their rights, youth denied their voices and communities denied opportunities,” he said, noting ActionAid’s consistent advocacy aimed at expanding inclusion, representation and social protection for disadvantaged groups.
“Our work spans all 36 states, from supporting more than two million smallholder women farmers to networks like the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All, which now has more than a thousand members nationwide.
“We have also championed women’s land rights, promoted sustainable agriculture, strengthened governance accountability and empowered young people to engage meaningfully in democracy,” he said, highlighting ActionAid’s broad-based interventions supporting inclusive national development.
Also speaking, Rabi Isma, Chair of the ActionAid Nigeria Board, said the 25-year milestone was both a celebration and a moment of reflection for an organisation committed to justice, community empowerment and sustainable national progress.
“Five years is a remarkable milestone in the lifetime of any organisation, and for ActionAid Nigeria, this is a moment to celebrate and reflect on our growth from a modest country programme to a full-fledged affiliate.
“At every stage, we have remained steadfast in our mission, working with people living in poverty and exclusion so they can claim their rights and live in dignity,” Isma said, reaffirming ActionAid’s development-focused mandate.
“Through partnerships, accountability and solidarity, ActionAid Nigeria has built a reputation of principled advocacy, people-centred development and feminist leadership,” she said.
Isma emphasised the organisation’s consistent approach to promoting equity and addressing structural inequalities.
“These are real stories of transformation that give meaning to our work and inspire us to continue,” she said, stressing the importance of sustained collaboration, community resilience and strategic interventions supporting long-term social impact.
In his remarks, former presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi congratulated ActionAid Nigeria on its 25th anniversary, stating he was delighted to celebrate the organisation’s 25 years of action, impact, service and unwavering national advocacy.
“Mine is a very simple message, to say big congratulations to this family, ActionAid, who are celebrating 25 years of action, impact, service and advocacy in our country.
“This anniversary is a celebration of purpose and of what can be achieved when an institution is committed to human capital, to a just society and to a fairer society, which we have all been part of,” Obi said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the anniversary highlights included a book launch, presentation of awards to outstanding staff and partners, and a posthumous award to Mr John Moru, who served as ActionAid’s Governance Team Leader in 2005.
The award was received by his wife, Abiemwense Moru, and daughter, Kylie John-Moru, who expressed gratitude to ActionAid Nigeria for the recognition of his work.
