Nigeria at the Intersection: Governance, Development, and Peacebuilding

Presented by Polarization and Violence Transformed (PiVoT) Peace Lab 

Title: Nigeria at the Intersection: Governance, Development, and Peacebuilding (And Geopolitics!) 

Ongoing insecurity and governance challenges in Nigeria pose a sustained challenge to community-based economic development. This session will examine how conflict impacts sustainable development work in Nigeria and reaffirms the interconnectedness of peacebuilding and development work. Drawing on recent GMU doctoral research on localization in Nigeria as well as innovative work with small-holder farmers, this session will bring together experts to engage high-level questions in the country and regional-level conversation. Acknowledging that insecurity and violence make development projects more challenging, with an emphasis on the Northeast and Middle-Belt regions of Nigeria, this discussion will highlight the many ways the work of different organizations overlaps and imagine how efforts can be more effective when these different types of work are viewed in tandem. 

Moderator:  

• Nathan Hosler, PhD, Director, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, Church of the Brethren; Board of Directors, Heifer International; Coordinator and Co-Founder, Nigeria Working Group 

Speakers: 

• Charles Kwuelum, PhD, GMU Alumni and Mennonite Central Committee 
• Lekan Tobe, PhD, Nigeria Country Director, Heifer International 
• Chidinma Chidoka, Director, Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership