Don’t Stop Now: Peace Ambassador Buru Begs Germany To Extend Kaduna Women’s Peace Project To 2027

By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna

A Nigerian peace ambassador, Pastor Dr. Yohanna Buru, has called on the German Government to extend its nine-month women’s peacebuilding and human rights project in Kaduna State to 2027, saying the initiative has already changed the lives of more than 5,000 women across the state.

Buru, a recipient of the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week Award, made the appeal on Thursday during a lecture at the Sir Gbagyi Palace in Kaduna. The event was attended by the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stefan Rößel, who was in the state for official engagements.

He said the project, billed to end in November 2026, has equipped women in both urban and rural communities with practical skills to prevent conflict, protect human rights, and promote peaceful coexistence.

“Extending this project beyond November 2026 will enable more women, especially those in rural areas, to acquire essential skills in human rights protection, conflict resolution, restorative justice, mediation and peaceful dialogue,” Buru said.

According to him, the impact of the training goes beyond the classroom. Many of the women are now serving as community mediators, early warning observers, and voices for tolerance among Christians, Muslims, and different ethnic groups in Kaduna.

Buru explained that participants were trained in critical areas including women’s human rights, prevention of gender-based violence, legal awareness, paralegal skills, negotiation, interfaith dialogue, and religious tolerance.

Other modules covered women’s leadership in decision-making, transitional and restorative justice, online conflict resolution, early warning and early response, as well as referral pathways for survivors of abuse.

“The knowledge gained is helping women to identify early signs of trouble in their communities, respond to cases of abuse, support victims to access help, and resolve disputes through dialogue instead of violence,” he stated.

The peace ambassador revealed that more than 5,000 women have benefited from the initiative in the last nine months, with training focused on religious freedom, human rights, gender-based violence, and peaceful interfaith living.

However, he said demand for the programme remains very high. “Many more women are still asking to be included. That is why we are appealing to the German Government, through the German Embassy in Nigeria, and to the Interfaith Mediation Centre to extend the project to 2027,” he added.

One of the beneficiaries, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani, also spoke at the event. She thanked the German Embassy and IMC for the opportunity, saying the training had changed the way she handles disputes in her community.

“Before now, I didn’t fully understand how mediation works. This training opened my eyes to the power of dialogue in preventing small disagreements from turning into violence,” she said.

The Network of 50 Peace Journalists in Kaduna, which has been monitoring and documenting the project, also backed the call for an extension.

The Team Leader of the network, Ibrahima Yakubu, said sustaining the programme would equip more women with the tools to promote peace and human rights across the state.

Yakubu further urged the Kaduna State Government to support similar initiatives and called on wealthy individuals, corporate organisations and other development partners to invest in women’s peacebuilding efforts.

“When you invest in women’s education, leadership and capacity for peace, you are strengthening families and communities. You are also preventing violence and promoting religious tolerance,” he said.

Ambassador Rößel, who listened to the presentations, did not make an immediate commitment but reaffirmed that Germany remains committed to supporting peace and human rights efforts in Nigeria.

The project is being implemented in Kaduna by the Interfaith Mediation Centre with support from the German Embassy in Abuja.