The Plateau State Peace Building Agency on Tuesday 9th February kicked off a 2Day capacity building training on mediation and dialogue for communities of Aten, Attakar, Fulani and Irigwe in Jos the Plateau state capital.
The 2days capacity building workshop held at Dimples Hall in Jos Plateau state is an initiative of the Plateau state Peace Building Agency made possible by the United States Institute for Peace which has seen a series of activities and systematic dialogue over the months in restoring peace to conflicting communities.
Director-General of the Plateau Peace Building Agency, Mr. Joseph Langmang, while giving his opening remark, appreciated that the communities who have continued to show great improvement after the series of discussions in the past after the commitment to peace was signed some months ago. He assured them of Governments commitment to the process of ensuring restored communication and a rebuild of the relationship.
He noted that the Agency is living up to its responsibility in strengthening the capacity of communities to be able to handle their own mediation and dialogue on how they can resolve their conflicts by themselves which will also ensure community leaders serve as first respondents in terms of conflict.
Mr. Godwin Okoko, Director Of Programs Plateau Peace Building Agency, said though conflict has lasted beyond anyone’s expectation within some of this communities, there has been a lot of efforts by both state and non-state actors.
He noted that the capacity building training was to get the involvement of the key stakeholders in the processes of reconciliation and allowing them to drive the processes themselves which is an initiative of the Plateau Peace Building Agency.
Mr Okoko said the training was to enhance their required and necessary skills so that they can be able to carry on with the process of reconciliation on their own while the Agency facilitate and provides an enabling environment. He noted that the representatives of the communities at the training where members of the committees set up by the various communities with most of the areas and gaps being mostly ones identified by the conflicting communities to the Agency for capacity building.
The Plateau Peace Building Agency (PPBA) is an institutional framework established by law in response to the challenges of peace and security in the state. Their mandate is to promote the culture of peace and harmonious coexistence, among the various ethnoreligious divides on the Plateau.
