From Mu’awuya Bala Idris, Katsina
The Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme has commenced a three-day Year Three Co-Creation Workshop in Katsina State, bringing together technical implementing partners, government representatives, and civil society organisations to develop a shared roadmap for advancing peacebuilding and community resilience initiatives.
The workshop, which opened at Hillside Royal Suites in Katsina, is part of efforts to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders and align interventions with the programme’s strategic priorities for the 2026 implementation year.
Speaking at the opening session, the SPRiNG Programme Lead for Katsina and Kaduna States, Abdulkadir Sambo, said the workshop would provide an opportunity for partners to review previous activities, assess lessons learned, and jointly design interventions capable of addressing emerging peace and security challenges in the state.
He said participants would engage in intensive discussions over the next three days to develop thematic proposals and implementation strategies aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the programme’s interventions.
According to Sambo, the programme, which is supported by the United Kingdom Government, seeks to promote peaceful coexistence, strengthen community resilience, and encourage inclusive participation in peacebuilding efforts.
He noted that over the past three years, the programme has worked closely with government institutions, civil society organisations, and community stakeholders to promote dialogue, conflict prevention, and sustainable peace across beneficiary communities.
The workshop is expected to focus on strengthening coordination among implementing partners by aligning resources, expertise, and activities to minimise duplication and maximise impact in communities.
Participants will also explore ways of deepening local ownership by placing state actors and civil society organisations at the centre of intervention design and implementation processes.
Another key area of discussion is the integration of accountability mechanisms into project planning, including Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), as well as strategic communication frameworks.
Stakeholders at the workshop stressed the importance of collaborative approaches to peacebuilding, noting that sustainable peace can only be achieved through active participation and shared responsibility among government institutions, civil society organisations, and local communities.
The SPRiNG Programme is implemented through a consortium of organisations and partners working to support peacebuilding, strengthen resilience, and improve social cohesion in target states across Nigeria.
The Katsina workshop is expected to produce a set of practical recommendations and action plans that will guide programme implementation during its third year while reinforcing partnerships aimed at delivering lasting peace dividends and enhancing community resilience across the state.
