The prevalence of killing of women and girls for ritual is higher than other geopolitical regions in Nigeria. Consequently, Nembe City Development Foundation (NCDF) in Bayelsa State received a total of $90,000 as a counterpart funding from a partnership between PACT Nigeria, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND) under the Advocacy, Awareness, and Civic Empowerment (ADVANCE) program. The funding received was used for a capacity building program – “Add Their Voice to the Budget” (ATVB) – for all GMoU Clusters in Bayelsa State. The program designed to equip the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) Clusters with relevance skills required for peaceful engagement and compliment governments effort in the planning and implementation of the development agenda for the respective communities. A total of 61 representatives from the GMoU Clusters including youth, women leaders, and traditional rulers successfully completed the ATVB training on budget tracking and advocacy skills. Thus, the researchers examined the impact of the multinational oil companies’ CSR using GMoU model on deterring the prevalence of killing of women and girls for ritual in the region. A total of 2,400 women were sampled across the Niger Delta region in Nigeria. The results from the use of logistic regression model indicates that the meagre GMoU interventions specifically targeted at women recorded significant success in improving women’s participation in political, social, and economic activities of the region. The findings suggest that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern.
Professor Joseph Ikechukwu Uduji holds a PhD in Marketing and Public Administration and master’s degrees in Marketing, Public Relations, Business Administration, and Public Administration. He is currently the Head of the Department of Marketing at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His current research interests include social justice, social responsibility, and inequality nexus in developing countries.
Dr. Elda Nduka Okolo-Obasi holds an MSc in Development Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Enugu Campuses and a PhD from the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Nigeria. His current research interests include economic and social impact evaluation of policies and projects of the public and private sectors in developing countries.
Mrs. Joy Ukamaka Uduji holds a BSc in Nursing and an MSc in Nutrition from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She is currently a PhD candidate in Public Health Education. She was the Director of Enugu State Nursing Services. She was also the Principal of School of Basic Midwifery in Awgu, Enugu State, Nigeria. Her research interest includes gender and healthcare management.