By maryam Diallo
The Peace Action for Rapid and Transformative Nigeria Early Response (PARTNER) project has officially transitioned from Mercy Corps to the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP).
The announcement was made during a stakeholders’ meeting held on Wednesday in Kaduna, where the outgoing Chief of Party, Danjuma Dawop, confirmed the transition.
He also introduced Osariemen Amas-Edobor, the former Deputy Chief of Party, as the new Chief of Party for the initiative. Dawop added that WANEP is now leading the project and will start implementing Project II
after the New Year.
In her remarks, Barr. Rebecca Sako-John, Permanent Commissioner of the Kaduna State Peace Commission (KSPC), expressed appreciation for the collaborative efforts within the PARTNER consortium. She praised the stakeholders for their work in promoting peace and social cohesion across their communities.
Barr. Sako-John also commended their proactive approach in preventing insecurity by issuing early warning signals and encouraged them to continue their efforts.
Dr. Bridget Osakwe, National Network Coordinator of WANEP, spoke positively about the future of the project following the transition. She noted that the success stories shared from various communities indicated a strong commitment from stakeholders in Kaduna.
While she acknowledged that she might not always be present on ground, she assured stakeholders that WANEP’s team would continue to provide support. She appealed for the same level of commitment to WANEP that had been shown to Mercy Corps.
The PARTNER consortium includes: WANEP, the Kaduna State Peace Commission (KSPC), Plateau Peace Building Agency (PPBA), Mambayya House (Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies), and The Kukah Centre. The project operates across nine states: Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau, and Zamfara. The project is funded by USAID.
In a related development, Ibrahima Yakubu, Team Leader of the Network of Peace Journalists (NPJ), in Kaduna, expressed gratitude to Mercy Corps for its role in training local journalists in conflict resolution through solutions journalism. He commended Mercy Corps for equipping Kaduna-based journalists with skills in conflict-sensitive reporting.
Yakubu also acknowledged the significant contributions of Danjuma Dawop, particularly his work in training journalists on early warning systems and conflict response, while adhering to the Do-No-Harm principle.
The NPJ Team Leader emphasized that the Network would always remember Mr. Dawop’s impact on the local journalism community.
Reflecting on the success of the five-year monthly peace journalism training programme, Yakubu noted that it had led to the formation of 50 trained peace journalists in Kaduna. He also highlighted the network’s role in supporting the formation of similar media initiatives across other northern states.
Looking ahead, Yakubu welcomed the establishment of new organizations and reiterated the Network’s commitment to offering full support to their work.
