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Enugu State Local Government Election Observers Training

The Enugu State Local Government Election Observers Training prepared 50 young people to observe and document the 2026 local government elections across eight Local Government Areas.

South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO), in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria and JDPC, organised the training ahead of the Enugu State Local Government Chairmanship and Councillorship elections.

The training focused on equipping young people with the practical knowledge required to observe polling activities, document information accurately, and report issues that arise during the electoral process.

Preparing Election Observers for the 2026 Elections

Election observation requires observers to understand both the polling process and their responsibilities in documenting what they see.

During the Enugu State Local Government Election Observers Training, participants received practical guidance on monitoring polling processes and recording their observations accurately.

They also learned how to identify and report incidents and understand the roles and responsibilities of key actors throughout the electoral process.

This preparation provides observers with a common understanding of what to monitor and how to document their observations from polling locations.

From Training to Election Observation

Following the training, the 50 young observers were deployed across eight Local Government Areas for the 2026 elections.

Their role is to observe polling activities and provide structured information on what takes place at their assigned locations.

This creates an avenue for young people to participate directly in the electoral process beyond voting.

It also supports the documentation of experiences from polling points, including issues that may require attention during or after the elections.

Building on Previous Election Observation

The training builds on SSDO’s previous work with ActionAid Nigeria and JDPC during the 2024 Enugu State Local Government elections.

Ahead of the 2024 elections, the partners engaged ENSIEC, security agencies, political parties, traditional and religious leaders, youth groups, and women’s groups on supporting a peaceful electoral process.

The engagement contributed to a peace accord signed by participating political parties. Trained observers were also deployed across all 17 Local Government Areas.

The 2026 training therefore continues an approach that combines youth participation, election observation, and engagement with relevant electoral stakeholders.

Supporting Youth Participation in Local Governance

Young people have an important role to play in documenting and understanding local electoral processes.

Through the Enugu State Local Government Election Observers Training, participants gained practical experience in election observation while contributing to the documentation of the 2026 polls.

For SSDO, this work forms part of broader efforts to strengthen citizen participation, accountability, and engagement with local governance processes in Enugu State.

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Japanese Embassy Monitors Construction of Medical Waste Incinerator in Enugu

Project monitoring helps ensure that development investments remain aligned with their intended purpose and implementation standards.

As part of ongoing oversight of the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), officials from the Japanese Embassy recently visited Abakpa Health Centre in Enugu State to inspect the construction of a medical waste incinerator being implemented by South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO).

The visit provided an opportunity for the Embassy to assess progress on the project site, review the quality and stage of construction, and discuss the remaining steps towards completion and commissioning.

Monitoring Progress on the Incinerator Project

The medical waste incinerator is being constructed to provide a dedicated system for the safe disposal of healthcare waste generated by Abakpa Health Centre and other surrounding health facilities within the LGA.

During the monitoring visit, Japanese Embassy officials inspected the building and reviewed the progress of construction alongside the SSDO team.

The facility is now nearing completion. The site visit therefore focused on assessing the work completed so far and identifying the remaining requirements before the facility can be commissioned.

Regular project monitoring provides an important link between funding support and implementation. It allows stakeholders to assess progress directly and maintain a shared understanding of the work required to bring the project to completion.

Strengthening Engagement Around the Project

The monitoring visit also included a courtesy visit to Dr. Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, Executive Secretary and CEO of the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency.

The engagement brought together the Japanese Embassy, SSDO, and the state primary healthcare authority around the progress and implementation of the project.

This coordination is relevant to the sustainability of the intervention because the incinerator is intended to serve health facilities within the local primary healthcare system

Moving Towards Completion and Commissioning

The construction is at an advanced stage, with SSDO working towards completing and commissioning the facility before the end of the year.

The Japanese Embassy’s monitoring visit provides an important point of review as the project moves into its final phase.

For SSDO, the engagement also reflects the importance of transparent implementation, regular monitoring, and coordination with relevant authorities when delivering infrastructure projects that respond to practical gaps in the health system.

The focus now remains on completing the outstanding work and preparing the facility for use by health facilities in the LGA.

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From Enugu to Cape Town Sharing a Digital Approach to TB Reporting

Public health challenges often look different across communities. Local realities can shape both the gaps health systems face and the solutions that work.

For this reason, local experience has an important place in global public health conversations.

At the 18th World Congress on Public Health in Cape Town, South Africa, South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) shared lessons from a digital TB reporting approach in Enugu State.

Our Health Programs Lead, Obianuju Ezeike (PMD Pro, BPH), represented SSDO at the Congress from 6 to 9 September 2026.

Bringing Local Health Experience to a Global Platform

The 18th World Congress on Public Health brought together public health professionals, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world.

The 2026 Congress focused on “Health Without Borders: Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability.” Against this backdrop, SSDO contributed an experience from community health work in Enugu State.

The experience showed how a locally adapted digital approach can reduce reporting burdens for community health volunteers.

It also highlighted the value of designing health solutions around the realities of the people who use them.

Addressing the Burden of Community TB Reporting

Community health volunteers play an important role in collecting and reporting data for health programmes.

However, the reporting process can create additional burdens when systems depend heavily on physical documentation and validation.

In Enugu State, community volunteers supporting tuberculosis reporting previously travelled with their records for physical validation.

As a result, volunteers faced transport and printing costs, alongside time spent travelling and waiting.

These challenges affected a routine process that depended on timely and accurate reporting from communities.

SSDO therefore explored a locally adapted digital approach to reduce some of these burdens.

Introducing Digital TB Reporting in Enugu State

SSDO trained 17 community volunteers from all 17 Local Government Areas in Enugu State to submit TB data digitally.

The approach allowed volunteers to submit their data through a digital tool rather than relying entirely on physical submission.

Supporting registers were also uploaded to the platform.

Programme staff could then review and validate submissions remotely.

This reduced routine trips to the office and lowered associated transport and printing costs.

It also shortened validation timelines and made the reporting process easier for community volunteers.

Additionally, the digital approach supported reporting continuity when technical challenges affected the national reporting platform.

Adapting Technology to Community Health Realities

The experience demonstrates the value of adapting technology to existing health systems and user needs.

The objective was not to introduce technology for its own sake.

Instead, SSDO adapted an existing reporting process to reduce the burden on frontline workers while strengthening routine TB reporting.

This distinction matters because digital health solutions work best when they respond to real operational challenges.

In this case, the approach addressed practical issues faced by volunteers while supporting programme staff to review information remotely.

The experience also provided lessons on how locally developed approaches can complement wider health reporting systems.

Sharing Lessons From Enugu at WCPH 2026

At the World Congress on Public Health, Obianuju shared the experience with an international audienc

Her participation created an opportunity for SSDO to bring lessons from Enugu into wider conversations about health systems and digital innovation.

At the same time, the Congress provided an opportunity to learn from public health experiences in other settings.

This exchange is important because health systems operate within different social, institutional, and community contexts.

Therefore, solutions must account for the realities of the people and systems expected to use them.

Strengthening Health Systems Through Local Solutions

The experience from Enugu shows how practical changes can improve routine health processes.

By reducing unnecessary travel, lowering reporting costs, and enabling remote validation, digital TB reporting can ease some of the pressures faced by community health volunteers.

More importantly, the experience reinforces the importance of listening to frontline workers when improving health systems.

SSDO continues to support approaches that connect community-level experience with practical solutions for stronger health service delivery.

Through platforms such as WCPH 2026, these local experiences can also contribute to wider public health learning and conversations about more responsive health systems.

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Learning From Communities: Tracking Change Across Enugu

Access to finance, productive resources, and practical knowledge can shape how communities improve their livelihoods.

These resources can also influence how people participate in civic and community life.

South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO), in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria under the Strategic Partnership Agreement II (SPA II), supports community structures and interventions that address these gaps.

As part of the programme’s monitoring and evaluation, SSDO’s MEL Lead, Favour Kalu, joined ActionAid Nigeria for a visit to communities in Aninri, Isi-Uzo, and Igbo-Eze North LGAs.

The visit provided an opportunity to see how people are applying the knowledge, resources, and support they have gained through the programme.

Turning Community Finance Into Livelihood Opportunities

Access to community-based finance can give people resources to invest in existing businesses or explore new opportunities.

In Isi-Uzo, Madam Lucy used finance accessed through her Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) to invest in a rice planter.

The equipment has improved her farming activities while creating an additional income stream.

She also hires the planter to other farmers, allowing the investment to support her own production and other farmers in the community.

Mr. Ogbuzuru has also used VSLA support to improve his milling business.

Alongside this investment, he is applying sack-farming techniques from his training to expand his livelihood activities.

These experiences show how community finance can support people to invest in practical resources and build on existing livelihoods.

Applying New Knowledge on Farms

Finance is only one part of livelihood development.

Practical knowledge can also help farmers improve production and make better use of available resources.

In Igbo-Eze North, farmers such as Promise are applying agroecological practices on their farms.

These practices include using organic manure and mulching to support farm productivity.

For farmers, the benefits extend beyond production.

The produce can help households meet their food needs while also creating opportunities to generate income.

By applying techniques from their training, farmers are adapting new knowledge to their own farming contexts

Taking Civic Knowledge Into Communities

The programme’s impact also extends beyond livelihoods.

In Aninri, young people have taken civic education into their communities.

A voter registration drive helped hundreds of residents complete the registration process.

This shows another way that knowledge and community structures can translate into practical action.

Young people used the information and engagement opportunities available to them to support civic participation within their communities.

Different Communities, Different Pathways

The experiences across the three LGAs show different ways people are applying programme support.

In Isi-Uzo, community finance has supported investment in farming and small businesses.

In Igbo-Eze North, farmers are applying agroecological practices to their production.

Meanwhile, young people in Aninri are using civic knowledge to support participation in their communities.

Although the activities differ, they share a common thread.

People are adapting the resources and knowledge available to them to address needs within their own communities.

This local ownership matters because sustained change depends on people being able to use and build on available opportunities.

Learning From Community Experience

The joint monitoring and evaluation visit by SSDO and ActionAid Nigeria is helping document these experiences.

It also provides an opportunity to understand how programme support is contributing to continued community-led action.

Monitoring therefore goes beyond checking whether activities took place.

It also helps capture how people are using what they have gained and where additional support may be needed.

Through this process, SSDO and its partners can learn from community experiences and strengthen future programming.

The experiences from Aninri, Isi-Uzo, and Igbo-Eze North show how finance, knowledge, and community structures can contribute to practical changes in livelihoods, farming, and civic participation.

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From Community Evidence to Legal Debate Youth Engagement in Tax Reform

Tax reform affects people who pay taxes, levies, and other charges.

However, many taxpayers still have limited information about what they should pay. They may also be unclear about who can collect these charges or where to seek redress.

South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) is creating opportunities for young people to examine these issues through evidence, legal analysis, and policy engagement.

Taking Tax Reform Conversations Into Communities

Earlier this year, SSDO, with support from ActionAid Nigeria under the Strategic Partnership Agreement II, trained and deployed 51 young people.

The youth monitors worked across all 17 Local Government Areas in Enugu State.

They documented citizens’ experiences and understanding of the 2025 tax reforms.

Their findings highlighted several concerns within tax administration.

These included gaps in public awareness, multiple collection, receipting, complaint mechanisms, and public trust.

The monitoring process gave young people a practical role in examining how tax reforms affect citizens.

It also generated community-level evidence that could support wider conversations on tax governance.

Bringing Legal Perspectives Into Tax Reform

The next phase of the work is connecting community evidence with legal analysis.

In partnership with Legal Ideas Forum International, University of Nigeria, SSDO supported the South-East Moot/Mock Court Competition on the Tax Reform Acts 2025.

The competition brought young law students into discussions around tax administration, fiscal governance, taxpayer rights, and the implications of tax reform.

Participants examined the reforms from different legal and policy perspectives.

They also tested arguments, interrogated existing evidence, and considered how tax administration affects informal traders and small businesses.

This created a practical space for young legal professionals to engage with questions around fairness, accountability, and taxpayer protection

Connecting Community Evidence With Legal Analysis

The two approaches serve different purposes.

Youth monitors gathered evidence from citizens and businesses across communities.

Meanwhile, young legal professionals examined the legal and policy dimensions of the reforms.

Together, these approaches create a broader basis for understanding tax reform in practice.

Community evidence can show how citizens experience tax administration. Legal analysis can examine the rules and institutional responsibilities that shape those experiences.

Connecting both perspectives can therefore support more informed discussions about tax governance.

Building Youth Participation in Tax Governance

Youth participation in public policy can take different forms.

Young people can gather evidence, analyse laws, engage institutions, and contribute to policy discussions.

This work creates space for those different forms of participation.

The community monitoring process gave young people an opportunity to document experiences from across Enugu State.

The moot and mock court competition then created another pathway for young people to examine tax reform through legal and policy analysis.

Together, these activities are helping connect youth participation with public-interest advocacy.

Turning Evidence Into Policy Engagement

The learning from these activities will feed into a youth-informed policy brief currently being developed by SSDO.

The brief will bring together citizen evidence, legal analysis, and recommendations for improving tax governance in Enugu State.

This process creates a link between what citizens experience, what young professionals identify through legal analysis, and the policy discussions that follow.

As tax reforms continue to shape how citizens and businesses interact with government, these perspectives can contribute to more informed conversations around transparency, accountability, and taxpayer rights.

SSDO continues to support opportunities that enable young people to engage with public policy through evidence, analysis, and constructive engagement with institutions.