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FM AMCONSUL LAGOS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0344
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 9985
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
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RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000483 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS NSC FOR BOBBY PITTMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EAID ECON KDEM NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: U.S.-BAYELSA PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHES 
CONCRETE PROGRAM PLANS 
 
REF: LAGOS 386 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified;  Handle Accordingly 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  The Ambassador led the second meeting with 
Bayelsa State officials on November 20 in Lagos as part of 
the Mission's pilot program on engaging individual states. 
The Ambassador-led USG delegation welcomed Bayelsa Governor 
Timipre Silva and a team of State Commissioners, House of 
Assembly members and the Vice Chancellor of Niger Delta 
University.  Bilateral working groups concluded concrete 
plans for including Bayelsa State in the Youth Leadership, 
International Visitor Leadership and Humphrey Fellowship 
exchange programs; rehabilitation of a Bayelsa State 
vocational training and handicraft center through the Office 
of Security Cooperation (OSC); training Bayelsa State 
Assembly members, civil society and the media in oversight 
and implementation of new government procurement and fiscal 
responsibility legislation; improving Bayelsa farmers' 
capacity for growing rice and bananas, and for aquaculture. 
In addition, plans were also established for participation by 
Bayelsa companies in trade missions to the United States and 
capacity building programs to help Bayelsa's small and 
medium-sized enterprises participate in U.S. finance and 
guarantee programs; and for teaching entrepreneurial skills 
in universities and secondary schools in Bayelsa.  The 
Ambassador's innovative program has generated a great deal of 
enthusiasm on the part of the Bayelsa participants, who see 
it as a way to access U.S. expertise, for which Bayelsa has 
in many cases agreed to pay, and apply it to problems that 
the State itself is working on.  End Summary. 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  On November 20, Ambassador led the second meeting 
of the Partnership Exchange with the State of Bayelsa. 
Following welcoming remarks by the Ambassador, the U.S. 
Mission team, composed of representatives from U.S. Agency 
for International Development (USAID), the Foreign Commercial 
Service (FCS), Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS), DOD Office 
of Security Cooperation (OSC) humanitarian assistance 
program, Lagos Consul General, Lagos Public Affairs and 
Political-Economic Sections and Ambassador's Special 
Assistant made brief presentations of their programs and how 
they might be used 
to meet the needs articulated by Bayelsa State at the 
previous meeting (Ref A).  Bayelsa Governor Timipre Silva 
thanked the Ambassador for her hospitality, and introduced 
Bayelsa Commissioners for Agriculture, Commerce, Education, 
Youth and Conflict Resolution, and Special Duties; as well as 
the Whip of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, the Vice 
Chancellor for Niger Delta University and the Director for 
eGovernance and Government Procurement.  The Governor noted 
that the meeting was being held in Lagos pursuant to the 
agreement proposed by the Ambassador to alternate meetings 
between Yenagoa and Lagos.  Following the introductory 
plenary session, the group divided up into a series of 
breakout sessions composed of U.S. Mission members and their 
counterparts to work through specific project ideas.  The 
group later reconvened in a final plenary session to report 
back with three or four "ways forward" resulting from the 
meetings. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  At the completion of their meetings, the bilateral 
working groups reported the following "ways forward": 
 
--  Educational Exchanges:  The Public Affairs Section 
reported that for the International Visitor Leadership 
Program and the Humphrey Fellowship Programs, Bayelsa State 
will submit five and three nominations, respectively, within 
an agreed-upon period of time.  The selection process for the 
Youth Leaders Exchange Program, which will be tailored 
specifically for Bayelsa State youths, will complete the 
process of selection of 10 youths by the end of February 2009. 
 
--  Vocational Center Rehabilitation:  OSC's humanitarian 
assistance coordinator reported that the working group had 
produced 14 locations where handicraft centers are being 
established by the State.  The State will provide OSC with 
information regarding the community surrounding each center, 
how many persons the center is likely to assist, and other 
 
LAGOS 00000483  002 OF 003 
 
 
details needed for application for funds.  OSC plans to 
conduct an initial assessment of a handicraft center as well 
as the multipurpose vocational training center in Yenagoa for 
possible rehabilitation in January. 
 
--  Technical Assistance for Fiscal Responsibility and 
Government Procurement Legislation:  USAID rapporteur noted 
that, in light of the extensive progress already made by 
Bayelsa State in these important areas, USAID will provide 
written input from the USAID consultant on the two bills as 
quickly as possible to the Bayelsa House of Assembly.  The 
Bayelsa State House of Assembly Whip, the Chairman of the 
Bayelsa State Public Procurement Board, and the Director of 
eGovernance and Public Procurement requested a workshop which 
will conducted in Calabar before the end of the year.  Day 
one of the workshop will review the legislation and cover the 
Bayelsa State Assembly's oversight responsibilities once the 
bill is passed.  Day two of the workshop will cover similar 
issues for civil society and the media. 
 
--  Agriculture:  FAS and USAID reported that the Bayelsa 
State Commissioner of Agriculture and his team expressed 
interest in university to university collaboration, 
assistance in finding ways to strengthen agricultural 
cooperatives, and building capacity in growing rice and 
bananas, and in starting aquaculture programs.  FAS will 
provide information on upcoming agricultural trade shows in 
the United States.  Bayelsa will encourage its proposed 
applicants for the Cocharan and Norman Borlaug Fellowships to 
complete on-line applications.  These two steps will be 
completed by November 28.  USAID will link Bayelsa partners 
with the Maximizing Agricultural Revenue and Key Enterprises 
for Target Sites (MARKETS) program. 
 
--  Commercial Opportunities:  FCS reported that the Bayelsa 
Commissioner of Commerce is seeking ways to help local 
companies grow to the point at which they can take advantage 
of programs such as OPIC, EXIM and TDA.  To do that, the 
partners will be in touch withUSAID to determine whether the 
Senior Executive Corps is a possibility for Nigeria.  FCS 
will also provide the Bayelsa Commissioner of Commerce with a 
list of all trade shows and buyer programs for which FCS is 
recruiting, and will inform the Commissioner when delegations 
from the United States come to Nigeria. 
 
--  Entrepreneurship Training:  PAS reported that both 
Students Investing in Free Enterprise (SIFE) and Students for 
the Advancement of Global Enterprise (SAGE) made 
presentations to the Bayelsa Commissioner of Education and to 
the Vice Chancellor of Delta State University.  Both SIFE has 
a meeting scheduled for Monday, November 24 in Yenagoa, and 
SAGE has been invited to attend as well. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Following the working group presentations, Bayelsa 
partners indicated that they were hoping that additional 
information could be provided on the following topics for 
which there had been no specific breakout session: 
 
--  African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA):  The 
Commissioner of Agriculture also expressed interest in better 
understanding what AGOA might do for them.  USAID will ask 
the West Africa Trade Hub in Accra to travel to Nigeria to 
provide information to AGOA. 
 
--  Microcredit:  Bayelsa State has had several projects 
offering microcredit, and found that none were entirely 
successful; the State is now looking for a better model for 
the expansion of microcredit in the State.  USAID suggested 
that the eGovernance Director reach out to the Lift Above 
Poverty Organization (LAPO) in Benin City which has Nigeria's 
most successful microcredit program.  The NGO operates in 12 
states and may be amenable to expanding to Bayelsa.  The 
eGovernance Director said he would put together a team and 
meet again with USAID specifically on this topic. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The Ambassador noted that she and the Governor 
would join the working groups approximately once each quarter 
to assess progress on agreed-upon programs.  USAID, OSC and 
Lagos Pol-Econ will travel to Bayelsa State in January for 
 
LAGOS 00000483  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
the third meeting of working groups and to conduct needed 
assessments. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Comment: This innovative program has generated a 
great deal of enthusiasm on the part of the Bayelsa 
participants, who see it as a way to access U.S. expertise, 
for which Bayelsa in many cases has agreed to pay, and apply 
it to problems that the State itself is working on.  End 
Comment. 
 
 
 
BLAIR