200 Women, CSOs Brainstorm on Peace-building in Katsina

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

No fewer than 200 women from four banditry-ravaged local government areas of Katsina State and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have brainstormed and re-strategised on how to strengthen peace and security in the state.

The women drawn from the four local government areas of Batsari, Jibia, Danmusa and Kankara, through the Women Peace and Security (WPS) initiative of Mercy Corps, converged on Katsina, the state capital, where they deliberated on ways to foster peace.

The two-day women dialogue was organised by Mercy Corps in collaboration with the Katsina State Ministry of Women Affairs with support from International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

Under its Conflict Mitigation and Community Reconciliation in North-west Nigeria (CMCR-NW) project funded by the European Union (EU), Mercy Corps and partners seek to build the capacity of women and CSOs in peace-building and peaceful co-existence in the state.

One of the participants from Jibia, Amina Mohammed, said the dialogue would assist all women to work harmoniously towards achieving cohesion in the peace-building process in communities rather than working at cross-purposes due to duplicity of activities.

She said Mercy Corps and its partners have empowered them with fresh insights and recommended better ways of working together to ensure peaceful coexistence among communities affected by banditry in Kankara, Jibia, Batsari, Danmusa and other parts of the state.

Another participant, Zainab Aliyu-Kankara, explained that the women’s dialogue served as a veritable platform for them to collectively deliberate on innovative strategies for peace-building in the state, especially in communities ravaged by insecurity.

In her remarks, the Senior Programme Officer of Mercy Corps, Lynda Nkechi Emmanuel, said the two-day women peace and security dialogue was aimed at developing collaborative strategies for promoting peace and security in the state.

According to her, the WPS initiative was a significant step taken by Mercy Corps and partners towards empowering women to play a critical role in promoting peace and security across communities in Katsina State.

She said: “We have over 200 women here who have been selected from Danmusa, Jibia, Batsari and Kankara to discuss the role of women in peace building, identify challenges and opportunities and develop collaborative strategies for promoting peace and security.”

While emphasising the importance of women’s participation in peace-building, the Mercy Corps programme officer encouraged them to take ownership of the initiative by reciprocating the gesture in their respective communities.

In her opening remarks, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hadiza Yar’adua, reiterated the state government’s commitment in tackling security challenges and improving the welfare of women and children affected by conflict.

She assured the participants that the state government under the leadership of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda would continue to prioritise their needs and work towards creating a better living environment for women in the state.