Stakeholders from four local government areas in Katsina State have agreed to implement community-based conflict resolution strategies aimed at fostering peace, unity and social harmony across their communities.
The resolution followed a four-day capacity-building workshop organised in Katsina by Mercy Corps for participants drawn from Safana, Sabuwa, Faskari and Dandume Local Government Areas.
The training, conducted under the Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response and Resilience (CPCRR) project supported by the European Union, focused on equipping participants with practical tools for managing disputes and strengthening local peace mechanisms.
One of the participants, Ododa Blessing from Dandume, stressed the need to prioritise dialogue and revive traditional conflict resolution methods to address disputes at the grassroots level.
She noted that locally driven approaches would help prevent tensions from escalating, enhance mutual understanding and promote lasting peace.
Another participant, Garba Zakka from Safana, pledged to share the knowledge gained with traditional rulers, youth groups, women associations and religious leaders to ensure wider community impact.
He underscored the importance of community ownership, saying that empowering local actors would enhance early response and peaceful settlement of disputes.
Also speaking, Sabi’u Sani, a participant with special needs, expressed readiness to cascade the training within his community, urging fellow participants to apply the lessons and collaborate for peaceful coexistence.
Earlier, the Senior Programme Manager of Mercy Corps, Mr Philip Ikita, said the initiative was designed to promote sustainable peace, stability and socio-economic recovery in conflict-affected areas.
He explained that the training on community dialogue, advocacy and action planning was intended to equip participants with skills in conflict prevention, mediation and peaceful dispute resolution.
According to him, the CPCRR project is being implemented by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in partnership with Mercy Corps and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), operating across 48 communities in Katsina and Zamfara states.
Ikita added that the programme seeks to address the root causes of conflict, strengthen community resilience and support long-term socio-economic recovery in North-West Nigeria.