RADA pitch competition awards N100,000 grants to three community advocacy groups

Three groups of participants in the Rising Awareness Driving Action (RADA) pitch competition have each won a grant of N100,000 to initiate advocacy programs in their respective communities.

SolaceBase reports the competition, organized by Blue Sapphire Hub, a leading non-governmental organization in northern Nigeria, was supported by the MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

The event took place on Saturday at the hub’s headquarters in Kano.

Engineer Sulaiman Bala Sani, the Executive Supervisor of Blue Sapphire Hub, explained that the pitch competition followed a twelve-week radio program designed to raise awareness among citizens about the roles and responsibilities of political officeholders.

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“During the program, we educated citizens on the responsibilities of political office holders, from councillors and chairmen up to the president. The show, which aired on Arewa Radio every Sunday, aimed to advocate for good governance and to inform the community about their rights as voters, emphasizing that politicians are there to serve them,” Engineer Sani said.

He continued, “In the first week, we provided a general overview of the democratic process and, in subsequent weeks, detailed the roles and responsibilities of each political office holder. We concluded with discussions on the recall process and how to contact politicians with complaints or concerns.”

Engineer Sani noted that the three final winners are expected to use their grants for advocacy programs within their communities, focusing on areas such as community development and health.

The program also included a question-and-answer segment, allowing audience participation, followed by a two-month training session for over a hundred applicants.

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Babangida Zama, leader of the group that won first place, expressed gratitude to the organizers and pledged to use the grant to advocate for inclusive political activities for people with hearing impairments.

Abdullahi Mustapha Rabi’u, leader of the second-place group, expressed his gratitude to Allah and noted that the grant motivates them to kickstart impactful projects in their community.

Abubakar Ibrahim Machika, the Community Coordinator of Blue Sapphire Hub, stressed the importance of the initiative, highlighting that many people are unaware of their rights and the roles and responsibilities of their leaders, making this educational effort crucial for societal development.