By Peter Amine
No fewer than 28 personnel of Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) have been trained on crisis mitigation in the North-Central States of Nigeria.
ACreSAL, a World Bank project, is training personnel in collaboration with Search For Common Ground (SFCG), an international non-profit organisation.
The ACReSAL National Project Coordinator, Mr Abdulhamid Umar, who was Mrs Henrietta Alhassan, Climate Change Specialist, said that the project was aware of the importance of peace within communities, with interpersonal relationships with people, and even within families.
Umar said at a three-day workshop on Jos that the need for peace to exist anywhere cannot be overemphasised.
According to the national project coordinator, there was a need for peace to have any sort of development.
“We are here because ACreSAL is investing in some areas in the Northern States of Nigeria. And for those investments to thrive, there must be an absence of hostility and violence.
“Therefore, we are here to strengthen ACReSAL’s capacity to improve on conflict transformation skills and monitor conflict impact.
“We are here to train the ACReSAL team to support community cohesion and peacebuilding at the community level where ACReSAL is intervening.
“We are also here to enhance the capacity of ACReSAL staff to be able to implement their activities in conflict-affected contexts using the Common Ground Approach (CGA).
“I therefore urge you all to pay rapt attention to this all-important training, so that by the time you go back to your states, you will all be ambassadors of peace and social cohesion,” he advised.
Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang lauded ACReSAL for holding the training on Plateau.
Mutfwang, who was represented by Commissioner for Environment, Climate Change, and Mineral Development, Mr Peter Gwom, said hosting the training in Pates was confirmation of the state as a home of peace.
He urged the trainees to be focused and trickle down the benefits of the training to their respective communities.
Plateau ACReSAL Project Coordinator, Mr Garba Gonkol ACReSAL, is an intervention by the World Bank to address environmental issues, agriculture, and water resources to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Gonkol stated that the intervention being implemented in the 19 northern states was crucial because the importance of progress in these areas and its connection to conflict resolution cannot be overemphasised.
According to him, the training was an initiative by Search for Common Ground, an organization focused on engaging with communities to promote peace.
“ACreSAL recognises that community engagement is essential for its success. Given that ACReSAL projects are typically community-based and many of our communities experience conflicts, such as those between herders and farmers, this training is vital.
“Participants will gain knowledge to mitigate these conflicts through community dialogue, ensuring the success of the projects.
“This training is timely, especially during the farming season when most conflicts occur.
“Farmers are preparing for planting and other operations, and the ACReSAL project involves activities like greening the environment and planting trees.
These activities take place within communities, making conflict resolution training essential at this time,” he added.
Mr Godwin Okoko, North Central Head of Programme Implementation at SFCG, said that the NGO was working collaboratively with ACReSALÂ programme focused on resolving environmental challenges across the country.
Okoko said that SFCG is a global entity dedicated to conflict prevention and peacebuilding, with 40 years of experience.
“In Nigeria, we currently have 13 offices across different states. We have also been contacted by ACReSAL to help build the capacities of their state programme teams across the 19 northern states of the country.
“Part of our mission is to enhance capacities around conflict sensitivity, community engagement, participatory approaches, and conflict mapping strategies.
“This initiative includes three-day engagements conducted at the regional level across the 19 northern states.
“Our primary goal is to build the capacities of ACReSAL team members in each of the 19 northern states where they operate,” he stated. NAN
