The Ekiti State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) has formally inaugurated Grievance Redress Committees (GRCs) across all its 14 project sites in the state, reinforcing its commitment to peace building, transparency, and inclusive stakeholders’ engagement.
The inauguration forms part of the project’s governance and risk-mitigation framework aimed at ensuring harmonious coexistence between project beneficiaries and host communities, while providing a structured mechanism for dispute prevention and resolution.
Speaking at the event, the State Project Coordinator, Mr. Olayinka Adedipe represented by the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Dr. Tajudeen Odewale described the establishment of the GRCs as a strategic enabler for effective project delivery.
He noted that the committees will serve as an institutionalized platform through which farmers, community members, and other stakeholders can formally lodge complaints, seek clarifications, and resolve project-related grievances in a timely, transparent, and peaceful manner.
According to him, the GRC framework is fully aligned with the core objectives of Ekiti L-PRES, including the promotion of social cohesion, accountability, and the protection of stakeholder interests, with particular attention to vulnerable groups.
He emphasized that proactive grievance management is critical to sustaining trust, minimizing operational disruptions, and enhancing overall project performance.
“The inauguration of these committees underscores Ekiti L-PRES’ commitment to peace building and inclusive development.
By institutionalizing a fair and responsive grievance redress mechanism, we are proactively mitigating conflict risks and creating an enabling environment for smooth and sustainable project implementation,” he stated.
The Grievance Redress Committees are made up of a cross-section of key community stakeholders, including traditional rulers, community representatives, and project officers, a composition designed to ensure fairness, transparency, local ownership, and credibility of the grievance redress process.
The inauguration ceremony also featured a sensitization session on the mandates of the committees, standard operating procedures for complaint handling, and the role of dialogue and mediation in conflict resolution.
The establishment of the Grievance Redress Committees represents a significant milestone in Ekiti L-PRES’ broader strategy to strengthen institutional frameworks, deepen stakeholder trust, and promote peaceful coexistence and sustainable development across all project locations in the state.
