Katsina State Governor Malam Dikko Umaru Radda on Monday launched a €5.1 million European Union-funded project aimed at strengthening peace, recovery, and stability in conflict-affected communities of Katsina and Zamfara States.
The 18-month initiative, titled Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response, and Resilience (CPCRR), will cover eight LGAs in Katsina and two in Zamfara.
It builds on a previous EU-backed project that reached more than 95,000 beneficiaries.
Governor Radda described the programme as “a new era of hope, partnership, and collective action,” saying it would help communities transition “from trauma to recovery, fear to safety, and despair to hope.”
He also inaugurated the Katsina State CPCRR Steering Committee to ensure coordination, transparency, and accountability in implementation.
The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, H.E. Grantier Migrot, praised Katsina’s commitment to peace and development, noting that the new project aligns with the EU’s investments in education, renewable energy, and environmental sustainability.
“This project builds on our previous successes and puts dialogue, education, and empowerment at the centre, especially for women, youth, and persons with disabilities,” Migrot said.
The project will target internally displaced persons, host communities, and other vulnerable groups through vocational training, climate-smart agriculture, and improved market access.
It will also establish community peace structures, strengthen early warning systems, and deliver 20 quick-impact projects.
Executive Secretary for Development and Partners in Katsina State, Mustapha Shehu, said youth would make up at least 60 per cent of the beneficiaries.
The programme will be implemented by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and Mercy Corps, in collaboration with state ministries and local stakeholders.
Traditional rulers, religious leaders, local government chairmen, and development partners attended the launch.
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