Global Rights Empowers Kaduna Women For Stronger Community Peacebuilding

Global Rights, a peace, justice, and accountability group, has conducted a two-day mentorship workshop for women in Community Dialogue Committees (CDCs) in Kaduna State to enable them to be more effective and efficient in their community peacebuilding roles.

The training, which took place in Abuja from 28 to 29 October 2025, focused on building participants’ capacity and confidence to step up to their roles in a society where women’s voices are often suppressed due to age-old cultural practices.

Global Rights’ Programme Officer Sedi Noya told journalists on Wednesday that the organisation embarked on the training to equip newer CDC women leaders with the necessary skills from experienced and knowledgeable peacebuilders to be more impactful in their assigned community roles.

“We decided to embark on this training programme because we noticed that the new Community Dialogue Committee members are not outspoken; they lack the confidence to express themselves towards providing solutions.

“This mentorship programme is for them to learn from older women from earlier CDCs we established — women who are experienced in peacebuilding and have worked in this area over time. We want to create a safe space for women to express themselves, discuss challenges and proffer solutions, and build a stronger sense of urgency to help them effectively discharge their roles.”

She further revealed that the group began setting up women-based Community Dialogue Committees in North-West Nigeria about two years ago to ensure the inclusion of women in peacebuilding efforts. She added that, so far, the NGO had trained and deployed about 200 such CDC women in the region.

One of the resource persons, Prof. Hauwa Yusuf, who spoke on the topic ‘Women as Mediators and Peacebuilders in the Community’, said that as CDC women leaders, they now have the opportunity to be at the forefront of peacebuilding due to the platform provided by Global Rights.

She noted that dialogue is a continuous process, adding that women have a special moral authority to speak where others cannot and to reach where others dare not.

She told the participants:

“You must brace up to learn to speak in public and negotiate for peace. Global Rights has allowed you to be part of peacebuilding in the community; do not take it for granted.”

According to her, women mediators have an advantage because when they are involved, they are seen as peacebuilders and conciliators, not adversaries.

Prof. Yusuf told them that to be good peacebuilders, CDC women leaders must transcend divisions based on class, religion and ethnicity.

She warned that as Community Dialogue Committee women leaders, whenever there are conflicts in their communities, people would look to them to assess how they handle the situation, and they are expected to stand out, speak with confidence, and not shy away from the spotlight.

She also urged them to do all within their capacity to reduce domestic and gender-based violence.

As women peacebuilders, Prof. Yusuf said, they had already begun succeeding in dismantling the patriarchal systems that hinder women’s participation in critical decision-making in communities and urged the participants to keep the flag flying.

“You must find creative ways to sustain peace in your everyday lives,” she added.

Another participant, Barr. Bukola Ajao, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Barnawa Branch, Kaduna, listed some key qualities the CDC women must possess.

“You have to be careful not to be biased when mediating. Excuse yourself if interested in the matter and allow another person to mediate.

“Learn to be assertive, but never be rude, no matter the level of provocation,” she urged them, adding that they must remain courageous and calm in challenging situations.