The European Union is launching a €25 million project to support efforts to address insecurity in Northwest Nigeria, including Zamfara State. The proposed project, expected to be adopted before the end of 2026, aims to build on the success of a more than €5 million conflict-prevention programme that has been implemented in the region. Gautier Mignot, head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), announced the new project during a steering committee meeting in Abuja.
The new project will focus on community-based conflict prevention, early warning, dialogue, mediation, and resilience-building in Zamfara and other Northwest states. Mignot emphasized that the EU recognizes the growing security challenges in the region and will increase its engagement while maintaining support for the Northeast. The EU's proposed intervention comes as persistent insecurity, displacement, and loss of livelihoods continue to undermine development across the Northwest.
The EU-funded Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response and Resilience (CPCRR) programme has made significant progress in promoting peace and stability in the region. The programme has established community peace and resilience committees, early-warning mechanisms, and platforms for dialogue and dispute resolution. It has also supported communication and awareness initiatives, including radio programming, while training local actors in negotiation and conflict management.
According to Mignot, the CPCRR programme has created "concrete building blocks of local peace architecture," but higher-level response structures still require stronger ownership, coordination, and faster response. The programme's sustainability has also become a major concern as it approaches its September 30 end date. Jean Kutumbakana, programme manager at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), emphasized that the Zamfara government must take ownership of mechanisms created under the programme.
The IOM intervention has focused on addressing the economic and environmental drivers of insecurity in Zamfara State. The organization has provided vocational and livelihood training to 104 beneficiaries, facilitated the formal recognition of Village Savings and Loan Associations among farmers, and trained 200 farmers and herders in climate-smart agriculture. The programme has also distributed 4,000 economic tree seedlings to 4,000 families and rehabilitated a tree nursery with the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment.
In addition to its economic and environmental interventions, the programme has provided mental health and psychosocial support to 9,052 people affected by conflict and other vulnerabilities. Women accounted for 56 percent of those reached with protection and psychosocial support services. The programme has also trained 300 people considered at risk of involvement in violent activities and provided livelihood kits and a N50,000 cash grant to complement the equipment.
Stakeholders at the review meeting expressed concern over the programme's sustainability after September 30 and called for peacebuilding activities to be incorporated into state budgets and the programmes of relevant ministries, departments, and agencies. Yahaya Zakari, Commissioner for Budget and Planning, who represented Dauda Lawal, Governor of Zamfara State, emphasized that the state inherited severe insecurity, displacement, mistrust, and loss of livelihoods and highlighted the need for continued support.
Key points
- The European Union is launching a €25 million project to support efforts to address insecurity in Northwest Nigeria.
- The new project will focus on community-based conflict prevention, early warning, dialogue, mediation, and resilience-building in Zamfara and other Northwest states.
- The programme has provided mental health and psychosocial support to 9,052 people affected by conflict and other vulnerabilities.
