Abuja: The Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two other critical stakeholders, the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), and Fortress360 LLC/TriplePeace Africa Initiative, to advance peace building and conflict prevention efforts in Nigeria.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the agreement, signed on Friday in Abuja, aims to harness the expertise and experiences of the three organizations to foster peace and stability throughout the country. The MoU focuses on strengthening partnerships and collaboration in peace building, conflict prevention, and conflict transformation.
Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, Director-General of IPCR, described the institute as a think-tank dedicated to conflict prevention, conflict management, and conflict resolution. He emphasized the importance of collaboration in managing and resolving conflicts in Nigeria, highlighting that partnership and linkages with critical stakeholders are crucial in achieving peace in complex societies like Nigeria.
Ochogwu noted that the collaboration would utilize human, intellectual, material, and networking resources to achieve their goals, specifically targeting the development of a national peace policy to address peace building challenges effectively.
Mr. Chris Ngwodo, Director-General of OSPRE, also known as the National Centre for the Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanisms, remarked that the MoU is timely. He explained that it unites stakeholders committed to social enterprise, peace building, and development, covering areas such as peace building, conflict prevention, conflict transformation, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration.
Ngwodo expressed satisfaction with the partnership, noting that it formalizes an existing collaboration with IPCR and Fortress360, aimed at leveraging decades of expertise in the field.
Dr. Paul Nyulaku-Bemshima, Executive Director of Fortress360, highlighted the MoU as part of a multi-track approach to addressing multidimensional peace issues in Nigeria. He underscored the privilege of contributing his organization's expertise to the peace agenda and assured that Fortress360 would actively apply its expertise across various thematic areas to drive the initiative forward.