By joshua 
CPI Pushes Ganaja Flood Resilience Agenda as N-HYPPADEC Pledges Deeper Collaboration
The Challenge Parenthood Initiative (CPI) has intensified its advocacy for flood resilience and community recovery in Ganaja, leading a high-level engagement with the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC) to advance the Ganaja Charter of Demand and Flood Resilience Action Plan
CPI Executive Director Ms. Eunice Agbogun, working on behalf of partners Heinrich Böll Stiftung and Arctic Infrastructure, again, led a delegation of community advocates to the Kogi State office of N-HYPPADEC on Wednesday.
The visit followed months of community-led consultations, technical assessments, and multi-stakeholder workshops held between 2024 and 2025, which produced five priority demands from residents of the flood-prone Ganaja area.
Led by Ms. Agbogun, the delegation presented a consolidated action plan focusing on: rehabilitation of Nyama Nyama Road through the 500 Housing Unit route; provision of a functional primary healthcare centre; improved welfare support for internally displaced persons; expansion of potable water supply; and dredging of the River Niger alongside the construction of additional dams to mitigate future flooding.
The advocacy team was received by N-HYPPADEC Kogi State Coordinator, Dr. Michael Omeiza Ajayi, who assured that the Commission is committed to addressing the yearnings and aspirations of the Ganaja community in response to annual flooding.
Three working groups from the Ganaja Advocacy Working Group presented their demands and acknowledged the commission’s recent intervention, including the installation of a mechanized borehole in Ganaja. They, however, requested additional water facilities for other vulnerable locations within the community.
Responding, Dr. Ajayi welcomed the structured approach and pledged N-HYPPADEC’s readiness to collaborate with organized community groups. He assured CPI and the advocacy team that the Commission is already reviewing priority areas for water infrastructure in Ganaja based on the submitted report for immediate consideration.
On support for displaced persons, Ajayi said N-HYPPADEC remained committed to assisting IDP camps in Ganaja but noted that such interventions would be coordinated through the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). He urged the team to work closely with local and state government agencies to fast-track access to relief and rehabilitation programs.
He added that the Commission has over the years distributed life jackets to boat operators and residents of Ganaja community, and assured that more would be provided.
The visit marks the second advocacy engagement by CPI and community representatives with N-HYPPADEC. The Ganaja Charter of Demand was developed to give residents a unified voice in shaping recovery and resilience strategies after repeated flooding devastated homes, farmlands, and livelihoods along the Niger-Benue confluence.
Ganaja, a low-lying community in Lokoja LGA, has suffered recurring flood disasters that have displaced thousands and strained public infrastructure. CPI’s partnership with Heinrich Böll Stiftung and Arctic Infrastructure has focused on bridging the gap between affected communities and government agencies by using evidence-based advocacy to influence policy and resource allocation.
“This visit is timely and fruitful,” said the heads of the Ganaja Advocacy Working Groups. “It opens a new chapter of collaboration between our community and HYPPADEC, and gives us hope that our demands will translate into concrete action.”
CPI said it would continue to monitor commitments and mobilize residents to ensure accountability and sustained engagement with government institutions on flood mitigation and post-disaster recovery.