Abuja - On Tuesday 30 April, the Network of Civil Society Organization Against Child Trafficking and Labour (NACTAL) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed a grant agreement to implement a project aimed to reduce the incidence of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and Edo states and the border towns of Idiroko and Seme in Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, respectively. The signing ceremony was held at the IOM Nigeria main office in Abuja.

The project titled ‘Civil Society Actions to Combat Child Trafficking and Child Labour in Nigeria and Border Communities’ will carry out capacity-building activities with NACTAL and member organizations on the components of human trafficking prevention and rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of human trafficking survivors. It also aims to enhance and promote collaboration between the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the public to maximize collaborative interventions to reduce the effects of trafficking in persons.

Attending the signing ceremony was Frantz Celestin, IOM Nigeria Chief of Mission, Taibatou Sidibe, the NSA Fund Coordinator, and Adaramola Sunday Emmanuel, NACTAL President responsible for the planning and management of direct operations of the project.

“Today is a good day to begin the partnership between NACTAL and IOM Nigeria. As IOM, we can bring a regional perspective, but it is NACTAL, as an umbrella organization, who have the necessary footprint on the ground when it comes to fighting against human trafficking in Nigeria,” said Frantz Celestin, IOM Nigeria Chief of Mission.

The signing of the grant agreement and implementation of the project fall under the “Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa” (FMM West Africa) project’s Fund for Non-State Actors (NSA Fund) jointly funded by the European Union and ECOWAS Commission. The Fund’s overall objective is to promote the active engagement of non-state actors and local authorities in information and protection activities for the benefit of migrant and cross-border populations throughout West Africa.

NACTAL and IOM’s partnership underscores the critical role civil society organizations play in maximizing the development potential of free movement of persons and migration in Nigeria and throughout the ECOWAS region.

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For more information, please contact Rachel Kallon, IOM Nigeria, Tel: +234 906 2421 085, Email: rkallon@iom.int