By Abbas Bamalli
No fewer than 90 men across three Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Katsina State, have stepped forward to champion gender equality and inclusive peacebuilding in the state.
This followed series of sensitisation forums held in Katsina, Batagarawa, and Kaita LGAs, organised by the Gender Awareness Trust (GAT).
Executive Director of GAT, Dr. Lydia Umar, represented by the organisation’s Mobilisation Officer in Katsina, Mr Mohammed Maifada, commended participants for their dedication to fosteringpeaceful communities.
She emphasised that achieving sustainable peace required active involvement of both men and women, and encouraged men to reassess their influence in shaping equitable communities.
“Our goal is to foster a society where inclusivity, mutual respect, and collaboration forms the foundation of peace; men’s involvement is crucial in achieving that vision,” she said.
Umar explained that the exercise aimed to promote positive masculinity, and strengthen men’s roles in preventing Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
According to her, the initiative targets to equip community peace structures in Kaduna and Katsina states, with tools for gender-responsive conflict prevention, early warning, and peacebuilding.
She added that “It aligns with Nigeria’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Framework, which prioritises the inclusion of women and people with disabilities in peace and security processes.
NAN reports that the participants were drawn from traditional and religious institutions, youth groups, community leaders, and grassroots peace structures.
Some of them revealed that the forum had opened their eyes to the fact that peace cannot be completed without women’s voices.
NAN reports that at the end of the training, the men pledged to support women’s participation in peace committees, speak out against GBV, and advocate for inclusive governance within their communities.
The engagement was supported by the SPRiNG Programme, a UK Government initiative implemented by Tetra Tech International Development.
NAN