Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has inaugurated the €5.1 million European Union-funded Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response, and Resilience (CPCRR) project, aimed at promoting peace and stability in the state.
The 18-month initiative is financed by the European Union and implemented in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and Mercy Corps. It will cover eight local government areas in Katsina and two in Zamfara State, expanding on an earlier programme that benefited more than 95,000 people.
Radda described the launch as a new era of hope, collaboration, and collective responsibility, particularly for empowering women, youth, and other vulnerable groups. He explained that the CPCRR project builds on the successes of the Conflict Mitigation and Community Reconciliation initiative, previously supported by the EU and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mercy Corps, and CDD.
According to him, the earlier project played a key role in resolving community crises, enabling displaced persons to return home, and strengthening intercommunal trust.
“Today, we are scaling up what worked—expanding coverage, deepening impact, and embedding best practices. We already have partnerships with the UNDP and the German government, which are helping us address conflicts, and with France to establish a one-megawatt hydropower project at Danja Dam,” Radda said.
He explained that the CPCRR project is designed to prevent violence before it occurs, support trauma healing, and create conditions for lasting peace and development. To ensure accountability and sustainability, the state government has inaugurated a steering committee to oversee implementation.
The committee, according to the governor, is tasked with aligning the project with the state’s development plan, ensuring transparent use of funds, facilitating inter-agency collaboration, engaging traditional and religious leaders as peace partners, and monitoring progress reports.
“We are not passive beneficiaries—we are active co-creators of peace and development,” he said.
Radda called on traditional and religious leaders to continue promoting tolerance, mediating disputes, and protecting the most vulnerable. He added that the initiative would also empower women and youth with skills, resources, and leadership opportunities to help them serve as peace-builders, entrepreneurs, and advocates for justice.