WANEP trains stakeholders on peace-building, conflict management

The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Nigeria), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has trained stakeholders in Kwara on ‘peace-building and conflict management’ under the Research and Action for Peace (RECAP) project.

The programme, organised in partnership with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), was funded by the European Union (EU).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative was aimed at equipping stakeholders with skills and strategies to mitigate conflicts and promote peaceful resolution mechanisms.

NAN also reports that the three-day capacity-building workshop, which ended on Friday in Ilorin, focused on conflict prevention, violent extremism, crisis management, and peacebuilding.

At the end of the training, Dr Bridget Osakwe, WANEP National Coordinator, said the workshop was designed to enhance the capacity of stakeholders on peace research and action.

Osakwe, represented by the WANEP Nigeria Head of Programme, Mrs Patience Obaulo, said the training was aimed at equipping stakeholders with skills to monitor indicators of extremism and radicalisation.

According to the national coordinator, the training was also to ensure the successful implementation of Kwara’s Action Plan for peace.

“The goal is to strengthen the peacebuilding capacity of organisations and practitioners, enabling them to actively engage in preventing violent conflicts in the country,” Osakwe said.

She emphasised that participants, carefully selected from organizations working on peacebuilding, women’s rights, and good governance, would collaborate with relevant state actors to sustain peace in the state.

“At the end of the training, we expect to have competent civil society actors who can partner with key stakeholders to promote a peaceful Kwara.

“Young people can also use non-violent approaches to address grievances,” she added.

Osakwe highlighted WANEP’s role as a network of over 150 civil society organisations working across Nigeria in five thematic areas.

She listed the areas to include; active non-violent adjudication programme, conflict prevention, women in peace building programme, democracy and good governance, as well as research and documentation programme.

Also, the WANEP State Coordinator, Tosin Ajayi, commended the organisers, stating that the training would help to prevent the escalation of violent conflicts in the state.

She reiterated WANEP’s commitment to minimising conflicts through capacity building and awareness creation using non-violent strategies.

Similarly, the Kwara Chairperson, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Mrs Funke Balogun, appreciated the initiative, adding that the training provided valuable knowledge for conflict management in the state.

NAN reports that participants included representatives from civil society organisations, religious groups, and journalists, among others.