Mike Odeh James
CLEEN Foundation has launched a three-day Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Stakeholder Inception Training and commenced the formal inauguration of State Multi-Stakeholder Implementation and Monitoring Committees (SMIMCs) across five project states—Kaduna, Nasarawa, Imo, Plateau, and Benue.
The initiative, implemented in collaboration with state-level partners, is designed to strengthen the domestication and execution of Nigeria’s National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security. It seeks to tackle the persistent gendered impacts of conflict, insecurity, and governance gaps that continue to disproportionately affect women and girls, particularly in the North-Central and South-East regions.
Speaking during day one of the training in Kaduna State, the Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, Peter Maduoma—represented by Programme Manager, Chigozirim Okoro—said that despite Nigeria’s national commitments to the WPS agenda, implementation at the sub-national level remains weak, fragmented, and poorly coordinated.
“Several states either lack functional State Action Plans or have inactive implementation structures, resulting in minimal progress on key WPS pillars, including participation, protection, prevention, relief, and recovery,” he said.
The newly inaugurated SMIMCs are expected to serve as inclusive coordination platforms that bring together government institutions, security agencies, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, women mediators, youth groups, and the media. Their responsibilities include planning, overseeing, and monitoring WPS interventions in their respective states. Each committee is also tasked with ensuring that state-level actions align with national frameworks while adapting approaches to local realities.
CLEEN Foundation noted that these committees will track state-level commitments through the Security Accountability Project (SAP), strengthen collaboration among institutions, and promote gender-sensitive decision-making within peace and security processes.
The ongoing workshops focus on building the technical capacity of committee members on WPS principles, monitoring tools, reporting frameworks, and coordination mechanisms. Participants will also develop state-specific implementation roadmaps to guide the operationalization of WPS commitments.
Each state training is expected to host at least 30 participants drawn from the Ministries of Women Affairs, Justice, and Internal Security; gender committees of State Houses of Assembly; security agencies including the Police, DSS, Civil Defence, Correctional Service, and the military; faith-based organisations; traditional institutions; media stakeholders; and members of the WPS network, He4She ambassadors, and SIC networks.
The inception workshops took place in Imo, Nasarawa, and Benue States from November 11–13 and are ongoing in Plateau and Kaduna States from November 18–20, 2025.
Across the five project states, CLEEN Foundation anticipates strengthened coordination, improved accountability, increased visibility of WPS commitments, and enhanced engagement of women and youth in peace and security decision-making processes.
Middle-Belt Times 