Stateholders at the SPA inauguration on Friday in Asaba.International NGO inaugurates conflict resolution outfit in Delta
Search for Common Ground (SFCG), an international non-profit organisation, on Friday inaugurated its Delta State Peace Architecture (SPA), chapter to strengthen dialogue on issues and conflicts.
The SPA would help stakeholders to foster an inclusive approach to addressing challenges of violence and criminality as well as promotion of peace in the area.
Performing the inauguration in Asaba, the representative of the State Government, Dr Ngozi Mogbolu, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development, commended the initiative of SFCG in establishing SPA.
“I really want to commend SFCG for her efforts in promoting peace because that is pivotal to growth and development in every society.
“I believe so much in the potential of this initiative and I enjoin all stakeholders to do the needful to ensure that the project is successful because the price for peace can never be too high,” she said.
The Consortium Manager for SFCG, Mr Joshua Chorbe, in an overview on the programme said, SPA is a platform created to increase communication and information sharing on emerging conflict issues at the state level.
He said, ”SPA convenes state, local government actors and community representatives to respond to issues and concerns which escalated from LGAs and community dialogue held in the project areas.
”SPA seeks to address unresolved community conflicts, lead high level advocacy on policy change as well as other security issues across the selected 12 LGAs in Delta,” he said.
Chorbe said that the goals and objective of SPA is to strengthen government, civil society organisations and the traditional institutions’ participation in dialogue on issues and conflicts in communities.
He said that members collaborate to build trust between the government, security organisations and community stakeholders.
NAN also reports that SPA is expected to improve access to early warning signals and trends, improve capacity to respond to early warning signals, inclusion of relevant authorities in addressing community grievances among others.
He said the inauguration is in line with an 18-month action plan of the group geared towards fostering peace in the Niger Delta region with focus on Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states.
He said the project is being implemented in 12 LGAs in Delta, 8 LGAs in Bayelsa and 13 LGAs in Rivers.
SFCG promotes peaceful resolution of conflict in consortium with Stakeholders Democratic Network (SDN), Foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND) and Academic Associates Peace Works (AAPW).
NAN recalls that the project was launched in Asaba in February, where the state government pledged to support and work in partnership with the group.
The event was attended by stakeholders in the security sector including the representatives of Police, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, National Orientation Agency, Civil Society Organisations and Local Government Peace Architecture among others.
The highpoint of the event was the election and swearing in of the Governing body of SPA with Dr Ngozi Mogbolu as Chairman.
