The Network of Nigerian Women Mediators (NNWM), under the Resilient Women, Vulnerable Livelihoods (RWVL) Project funded by Global Affairs Canada and ActionAid Nigeria, has launched an Early Warning and Response Centre and Women Peace Hub in Jos, Plateau State.
The initiative, launched on Monday, August 31, 2026, at the Peace Orientation and Conference Centre in Jos, is targeted initially at communities in Jos North Local Government Area, particularly Congo Russia and Angwan Keke.
The Women Peace Hub is designed to strengthen the role of experienced women mediators in conflict prevention, early identification of emerging risks, mediation, local response, referrals and peacebuilding.
Speaking during the launch, the Plateau State Coordinator of the Network of Nigerian Women Mediators, Elder Ambassador Justina Mike Ngwobia, said the initiative would provide a structured platform for women to monitor developments within their communities and respond to emerging conflict situations before they escalate.
She explained that women mediators would serve as key actors in receiving and documenting community feedback, identifying emerging conflict concerns, facilitating mediation and engaging relevant stakeholders within the state’s peace architecture.
According to Ngwobia, women are often among the first people to notice signs of tension and conflict because of their close connection to families and communities.
She said the project would therefore harness their knowledge, mediation skills and community networks to strengthen early warning and early response mechanisms.
Ngwobia said Congo Russia was selected as one of the initial communities because of its diverse population and the presence of several potential conflict triggers.
“We are here today to launch an early warning and early response mechanism for the community in Jos North Local Government,” she said.
She explained that the Congo Russia community has residents from different parts of Nigeria and different religious backgrounds, making it important to establish mechanisms capable of identifying and addressing tensions at an early stage.
The state coordinator said the project would eventually cover other communities, but the two communities were selected as a starting point.
She added that the initiative would also amplify the contributions of women to peacebuilding by empowering them to monitor developments, analyse emerging issues and report them to the appropriate authorities.
Ngwobia disclosed that a toll-free line had also been launched to enable residents to communicate information and report emerging concerns.
She expressed appreciation to stakeholders supporting the initiative, including the National Orientation Agency, Plateau State Peace Building Agency, Plateau Peace Practitioners Network and Women, Peace and Security Network, as well as the media.
Women Must Be at Centre of Conflict Prevention — NNWM
Delivering a keynote address titled “Women at the Frontline of Peace: Strengthening Early Warning, Mediation and Local Response through Women-Led Peace Hubs,” Co-Coordinator of the NNWM, Hajia Lantana Abdullahi, described the launch as a historic milestone for the network.
Abdullahi said Plateau State was deliberately selected because of its history of violent conflicts and the significant impact such conflicts have had on women and children.
She said bringing women to the centre of peacebuilding efforts would strengthen the state’s capacity to identify early warning signs and respond before conflicts escalate.
“Finding solution begins with recognising early warning signs and also how to report it or how to intervene to minimise escalation or devastating consequences on women, children and all citizens,” she said.
She noted that the success of the initiative would require collaboration among government institutions, civil society organisations, traditional rulers and women’s groups.
Abdullahi expressed appreciation to stakeholders with mandates for early warning and early response for participating in the launch and supporting the objective of placing women at the centre of conflict prevention.
She said the initiative would contribute to reducing the impact of violent conflicts on women and children across Plateau State.
Women Can Strengthen Community Reporting — Peace Practitioners Network
President of the Plateau Peace Practitioners Network, Nanmak Bali, described the launch as timely, stressing the importance of having a women-led mechanism for monitoring and reporting developments within communities.
Bali said women were often the first responders in their homes and communities because of their roles as caregivers and their presence within households when incidents occur.
He said training women to properly document and report emerging situations could strengthen the state’s early warning and response system.
According to him, the focus on Congo Russia and Angwan Keke was particularly important because the communities have experienced incidents and tensions that could potentially develop into wider conflicts if not addressed promptly.
Bali disclosed that discussions could also be held on integrating the initiative into the proposed centralised early warning application being jointly developed by the Plateau State Peace Building Agency and the Plateau Peace Practitioners Network.
He said such integration could strengthen information sharing and coordination among peace actors across the state.
NHRC: Early Action Can Prevent Conflicts
Assistant Director at the National Human Rights Commission, Pwalri Yawa, described the initiative as an important step towards preventing conflicts before they escalate.
Yawa said early warning systems enable communities to identify seemingly minor issues and report them to trained personnel who can assess the situation and take appropriate action.
“This means that before the outbreak of anything, somebody has noticed a sign and has done something about it,” she said.
She explained that early reporting could help address disputes before they develop into violent confrontations.
She described the initiative as a “wonderful” step for the Network of Nigerian Women Mediators and expressed confidence that it would contribute to more responsible community-based conflict prevention.
Stakeholders Pledge Support
Following the official launch, other stakeholders and community actors who attended the event expressed support for the initiative and described it as timely, particularly given the need to strengthen mechanisms for identifying and responding to emerging tensions at the community level.
The stakeholders expressed their commitment to working with the Network of Nigerian Women Mediators and other relevant institutions to ensure that the Early Warning and Response Centre and Women Peace Hub achieve their objectives.
The initiative is expected to strengthen community-level information gathering, mediation, referral and response while creating a structured channel through which women can contribute more effectively to Plateau State’s broader peace architecture.
Information and data generated through the Peace Hub will be documented and submitted through a standardised reporting mechanism to support evidence-based advocacy.
The organisers said the information would contribute to the development of quarterly fact sheets, biannual policy briefs, scorecards and other knowledge products aimed at informing peacebuilding interventions and policy decisions.
The launch formally commenced the operations of the Women Peace Hub and brought together government representatives, peacebuilding practitioners, civil society actors, traditional and community stakeholders, women’s groups and other partners committed to strengthening early warning, early response and peacebuilding in Plateau State.
