My name is Amadou Mamane Issakou.   I am a 38-year-old agricultural engineer with 12 years' experience in the humanitarian sector. I joined the RESILAC project from its inception in August 2018 in Niger, where I served as Programme Manager for Labour-Intensive Works (HIMO) and agricultural production with ACF Spain in Diffa. Since July 2024, I have been the National Coordinator for RESILAC*2 in Chad.

During my work on the RESILAC project, I have had some memorable experiences that have taught me a lot about myself. These experiences have considerably enriched my management skills. I discovered the importance of resilience and adaptability, I applied these lessons to improve coordination and team efficiency between 2020 and 2022, and once again, since I took up my new post. This period has been instrumental in my professional and personal development.

As an anecdote, in June 2021, the Diffa Governorate invited me to a meeting presenting major projects in the region. During my presentation, I mentioned that our project did not have the same resources as those presented by the World Bank, which have a budget of tens of billions of euros. At the end of my presentation, the Secretary General of the Governorate took the floor and said: “RESILAC may not have the budget of other projects presented here, but I have had the opportunity to witness its achievements, which are so important for the communities, and to hear the many positive testimonials about it. You can be proud of your work."

For me, this is what sets the RESILAC project apart. It is implemented through a multi-country, multisectoral approach (Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad, and Niger), addressing various sectors such as economic recovery, social cohesion, and sustainable land management. In its first phase, the project reached more than 30,000 people in Chad alone. It has integrated the humanitarian, development and peace dimensions in its implementation, enabling a more holistic and sustainable response to the region's complex challenges. The project has also placed particular emphasis on young people and women, providing them with employment opportunities and building their resilience in the face of climate change. This has helped to reduce unemployment and migration rate in the project area.

The main difference I see between RESILAC*1 and RESILAC*2 lies in the will to improve by applying the lessons learned from the first phase: enhancing inclusion of the most vulnerable groups, reinforcing local governance through capacity-building, improving access to basic services, and strengthening community preparedness for climate shocks. This includes new initiatives to promote cross-border exchanges and foster climate-resilient production systems.

 

What I particularly appreciate about RESILAC is the constant self-reflection and the drive to innovate. We are always striving to do better than before. We are always looking to do better than last time. The flexibility of the project allows us to adapt our actions to the changing needs of the communities. Seeing the positive effects and impacts on the smiling faces of programme participants is a source of great satisfaction and motivation.

My only regret is that, given the limited budget allocated to the project, we are unable to do more in terms of developing market gardening spaces, building schools, and establishing health centers, which are sorely lacking in the project area.

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