By Joy Baba-Yesufu
A group of peacebuilding experts from across Africa have emphasized the role of women in fostering peace, advocating for human rights, and promoting equitable resource governance.
They shared insights on conflict resolution, community engagement, and the rehabilitation of youth affected by violence at a webinar organized by Global Rights Nigeria as part of activities to mark 2025 international women’s Day.
Permanent Commissioner, Kaduna state Peace commission Rebecca Sako John, spoke on Strengthening Women’s Role in Peace Mediation.
She highlighted the increasing awareness of women’s rights and their role in conflict prevention across Kaduna, the North-West, and Abuja.
According to her “We work with the Kaduna State Peace Commission to sensitize communities on identifying early indicators of violence and reporting them promptly. If you see something and don’t report it, it means you are not invested in your community’s safety,” she said.
She noted the growing number of women mediators who are actively addressing domestic violence, family disputes, and issues like drug abuse and gang influence in their communities.
“We train women in mediation skills so they can return to their communities and address conflicts effectively. We also engage with traditional and religious leaders to create more opportunities for women in leadership and ensure their participation in security discussions,” she added.
Mercy Chepng’enoh, protection and advocacy officer, at Protection International spoke extensively on Empowering Youth for Peace and Human Rights Advocacy.
She Emphasize the importance of building capacity of human rights defenders while ensuring that advocacy efforts remain peaceful and in line with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
“Our focus is not just on international human rights laws but also on applying local legal frameworks to strengthen our work,” she stated.
She pointed out that young people are often manipulated into perpetrating violence, but through training, many have been transformed into peace ambassadors.
“We train youth to resist political manipulation and instead champion peaceful coexistence in their communities,” she added.
Also speaking,Emem Bassey representing the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), acknowledged Nigeria’s leadership in establishing National Action Plans (NAPs) for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)
“We have empowered and trained numerous women across Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Chad. Our focus is to prepare young women for leadership and ensure they actively participate in peace processes,” she explained.
She recounted her involvement in a peace intervention program in the DRC, which brought together women from different provinces for advocacy and empowerment.
“In Chad, we helped launch the country’s first-ever National Action Plan on WPS. The initiative is now in the monitoring and evaluation stage, and we continue to support women in localizing and implementing the plan,” she added.
Emem also highlighted the successful reintegration of internally displaced persons (IDPs) into society through peacebuilding initiatives.
At the end of the conversation, it was unanimously agreed that women are taking on active roles in conflict mediation, peacebuilding, and governance, but more space must be created for them in leadership and decision-making processes; Youth, who are often manipulated into violence, can become powerful peace ambassadors when given proper training and mentorship and National Action Plans (NAPs) on Women, Peace, and Security are proving effective in integrating women into peace processes across Nigeria, Chad, DRC, and Rwanda.
