President Olusegun Obasanjo disclosed this while speaking at the DSF session held at the on-going World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS-2005), in Tunis.
Chief Obasanjo, who also is the chairman of the African Union (AU), said that the fund pledge was made in Geneva during the inauguration of DSF in March this year.
In addition, his government has pledged to provide regional office for the DSF in Africa at the nation’s seat of power, Abuja and that office space to this effect, has been discussed with the President of DSF, Mr. Guy Olivier Segond, whom he noted, was in the country last week.“During the inauguration of the DSF in Geneva, I pledged a
contribution of E500,000. This has been redeemed,” he declared.
“I am happy to inform that Nigeria would provide the DSF with the assistance required for the immediate take-off of the regional office” he said.
He pointed out that the office when off the ground would have the task of mobilizing support for DSF in Africa as well as project monitoring and implementation.
According to him, the responses so far, on DSF has been on the increase and there is need for the board of governors to be constituted early and for more information on the objectives, funding sources, disbursement and management to be made available.
This is especially important to the rural communities that are the main targets of the fund’s project, who he said, would like to know to access the fund’s projects.
“I am confident that the DSF would be a catalyst and make significant contributions to help achieve a win-win situation for the goals and objectives we have set for ourselves at the Geneva and Tunis phases of the WSIS,” he said.
Meanwhile, one minute silent was observed to honour the Nigeria’s late first lady, Chief Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, who died recently in Spain during a surgery.
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