It seems just like yesterday when as a new democratic era birthed in Nigeria in 1999, we decided to launch a nonprofit company, Development Initiatives Network (or DIN for short), with the aim of supporting and helping to realize the hopes and aspirations for a more open and prosperous society.
From the outset, our mission of working across sectors has been deliberate and purposeful and it has remained an integral feature of our work.
We strongly believe that the public interest is best served by advocating for reforms of institutions, policies, laws and practices that will secure equal rights, access and opportunities for all in Nigeria.
Key achievements include our inputs into the formulation of a new National Forestry Policy and the adoption of integrated solid waste management in Lagos State. DIN also managed the infrastructure upgrades at the National Museum Lagos, which delivered a new Exhibition Gallery as part of the Nigeria at 50 celebrations.
More recently, we have concentrated on the broad field of economic citizenship through financial literacy promotion and enterprise development. We are extremely proud of the fact that we have had more than 3,500 beneficiaries of our business and financial literacy trainings.
We pioneered the campaign for a national strategy on financial literacy at a time in 2008 when this was a subject that was not even on the radar of financial institutions and their regulators. Today, Nigeria has its National Financial Literacy Framework in place, which has entrenched financial literacy promotion as an integral aspect of the regulatory landscape in all financial markets.
DIN will continue to be dynamic by responding to emerging needs and concerns.
We use this opportunity to thank our funding and non-funding partners from 1999 till date as well as current and former DIN staff because without your interest, commitment and support, we would have no record of success.
Here is to the next 20 years!