20 Does the Use of Local Knowledge in Complex Systems …
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6.2 Increased Vulnerability of Displaced Communities
at the Kandadji Dam (Case Study 2)
The Kandadji Program for Regenerating Ecosystems and Enhancing the Valley of
Niger (P/KRESMIN) is a priority sectoral program of Rural Development in Niger.
It is also one of the three dams of common regional interest identified in the NBA’s
Programme for Sustainable Development. The project is supported by multiple
donors and will lead to the displacement of at least 38,000 people. This section
documents the nexus impacts of displacement at the local level and uses the case to
reflect on the relation between nexus governance at the project level and vulnerability
of the communities involved.
A first displacement and resettlement operation to allow construction of the
dam affected 5,500 people in villages in the river bed. The NUC deployed several
information-gathering missions in Niger between 2013 and 2018, producing a wealth
of information and lessons learned on the participation of local communities in
decision-making around displacement and the project itself. These serve not only as
key learning points for subsequent and future waves of displacement and planning
in the Kandadji Dam Project, but also for the other major dam projects of common
regional interest in the Niger Basin, Fomi in Guinea, and Taoussa in Mali.
In terms of system understanding and system boundaries, the sensitivity of the
displacement operations means that the focus stays relatively local for all stakeholders. However, the project is generally perceived as a national utility initiative
by the Nigerian authorities. The transboundary dimension is weak, an assessment
confirmed by the little participation of the NBA in the process, despite the clear
impacts beyond Niger.
The legal (inventory, compensation, land rights), cultural, and social (disruption
of social networks by the displacement) boundaries of the system are subjects of
misunderstanding and miscommunication and are identified by stakeholders as the
main obstacles to deeper local participation in decision-making around the project.
Populations underscored insufficiencies in three areas: preparation of the targeted
sites before displacement, low participation of populations to be displaced, and
unsatisfactory communication between project owners and impacted populations.
Whereas the project owner appears to have a very good understanding of the
stakeholders involved and the different interlocutors and representatives of the local
communities, serious shortcomings are noted in the level of involvement. Local
community representatives think of themselves as recipients of information, and
complain of the inconsistency and incompleteness of the information provided by
project authorities. This self-perception as passive participants in management and
communication places them, at best, at level 3 of the Arnstein Ladder (informing).
Overall, the community structures (committees) created for the projects are perceived
as dysfunctional (see reports in Annex). The capacity of local populations to participate and influence the process proactively is limited, particularly in the domains of
legal rights and dealing with the unexpected. Both residential and agricultural land
473
6.2 Increased Vulnerability of Displaced Communities
at the Kandadji Dam (Case Study 2)
The Kandadji Program for Regenerating Ecosystems and Enhancing the Valley of
Niger (P/KRESMIN) is a priority sectoral program of Rural Development in Niger.
It is also one of the three dams of common regional interest identified in the NBA’s
Programme for Sustainable Development. The project is supported by multiple
donors and will lead to the displacement of at least 38,000 people. This section
documents the nexus impacts of displacement at the local level and uses the case to
reflect on the relation between nexus governance at the project level and vulnerability
of the communities involved.
A first displacement and resettlement operation to allow construction of the
dam affected 5,500 people in villages in the river bed. The NUC deployed several
information-gathering missions in Niger between 2013 and 2018, producing a wealth
of information and lessons learned on the participation of local communities in
decision-making around displacement and the project itself. These serve not only as
key learning points for subsequent and future waves of displacement and planning
in the Kandadji Dam Project, but also for the other major dam projects of common
regional interest in the Niger Basin, Fomi in Guinea, and Taoussa in Mali.
In terms of system understanding and system boundaries, the sensitivity of the
displacement operations means that the focus stays relatively local for all stakeholders. However, the project is generally perceived as a national utility initiative
by the Nigerian authorities. The transboundary dimension is weak, an assessment
confirmed by the little participation of the NBA in the process, despite the clear
impacts beyond Niger.
The legal (inventory, compensation, land rights), cultural, and social (disruption
of social networks by the displacement) boundaries of the system are subjects of
misunderstanding and miscommunication and are identified by stakeholders as the
main obstacles to deeper local participation in decision-making around the project.
Populations underscored insufficiencies in three areas: preparation of the targeted
sites before displacement, low participation of populations to be displaced, and
unsatisfactory communication between project owners and impacted populations.
Whereas the project owner appears to have a very good understanding of the
stakeholders involved and the different interlocutors and representatives of the local
communities, serious shortcomings are noted in the level of involvement. Local
community representatives think of themselves as recipients of information, and
complain of the inconsistency and incompleteness of the information provided by
project authorities. This self-perception as passive participants in management and
communication places them, at best, at level 3 of the Arnstein Ladder (informing).
Overall, the community structures (committees) created for the projects are perceived
as dysfunctional (see reports in Annex). The capacity of local populations to participate and influence the process proactively is limited, particularly in the domains of
legal rights and dealing with the unexpected. Both residential and agricultural land