Policy Alert, a civil society organisation in the Niger Delta, has decried the inability of Host Community Development Trusts, HCDTs, across the region to develop a comprehensive transition strategy to cleaner energy which it described as inevitable.
It also expressed reservations about non-inclusion of women in the board management of most of the Trusts.
HCDT is an institution created under the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, to channel oil wealth into community development, mostly managed by the people.
The Executive Director of Policy Alert, Tjah Bolton-Akpan, made the observations at the Public Presentation of 2026 Gender Aware Host Communities Development Index in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Akpan said the discoveries were made following an independent investigation of 18 Trusts across Rivers and Akwa Ibom states on four cardinal pillars including governance and accountability, gender and social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and preparedness for the global energy transition.
He observed that very few Trusts govern with competence by having professional boards, engaging with communities, publishing their financial records, while many others are still battling with opacity, treating transparency as optional.
He, therefore, urged relevant stakeholders to address governance challenges, funding inconsistencies, and transparency practices to enhance the effectiveness of Trusts in delivering sustainable development outcomes.
“While some Trusts are making strides in building credible governance systems, many still face issues related to women’s representation, transparency, environmental responsibility, and readiness for the energy transition. Of the Trusts assessed, only one had up to 40 percent of Board positions held by women,” he said.
Meanwhile, participants at the Fforum called for a review of relevant regulations to establish HCDT Board quotas for women and budget thresholds for women-focused projects.
Speaking, Dumnamene Robinson Dekor, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities, pledged the National Assembly’s commitments to ensuring that the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act translate into real development for host communities.
On his part, Edidiong Dickson, Programme Lead Energy, Extractive and Climate Justice of Policy Alert, called on the regulatory body, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, to deploy the outcome of the Index to strengthen HCDT governance.
