• Stakeholders move to empower women in conflict ridden communities
From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
In her village in Yelwata community, Guma Local Government (LG), Benue State, Nyam Vihimga, a farmer and businesswoman, grew maize, soya beans, yams, rice and other crops on her family land. During harvest, in addition to what she gets from her farm, she buys off the excess from other farmers and stores them for sales on the rainy day.
However, when the Fulani herdsmen attacked her village in June 2025, Vihimga’s store was destroyed by fire. Just like that of most of the members of the community, they burnt it all. And left her with nothing. She was desolate.
She was sad and had nowhere to go but to move with her family to an IDP camp in Makurdi. She was hurt, body and soul. She has lost her livelihood and business and is unable to support herself and her family.
She told Daily Sun: “I used to farm very well and do business. When we start harvesting, I will buy raw rice, soya beans and guinea corn. I will store them so that when the price appreciates in the market I will sell them. All the grains I have were burnt.
“Now I don’t have capital. I can’t even tend to or crop my farms. By now, all I had planted early this year would have been overwhelmed by weeds and shrubs. I need help, I need money to start my business again.”
Like Vihimga, Esther Terna, a farmer is also at the IDP camp. But her mind is miles back in her community: “I used to farm, I also used to do storage. I have lost my business and my capital. If I can get some money, I will start again when we go back home.
“I am not a lazy woman. No Benue woman is lazy. We work very hard. I am the struggling type. Before the attack, there was no day we didn’t go to our farm except on Sundays.
“But now, we sit and wait for food. We now depend on government and the people to feed our children, to buy as little as Maggi, salt and pepper. I have never been in this sort of situation before. It is so difficult for me to cope.”
Vihimga and Terna mirror the pains of majority of farmers in Benue State, especially women farmers now living in IDP camps due to the repeated cases of herdsmen attacks.
But their dream of returning to self- sufficiency for themselves and their family may no longer be far away. This is because some stakeholders have started thinking of assistance to women in conflict-affected communities.
One such group is Centre for Redefining Alternative Civic Engagement (RACE Centre). The other is Gender and Environmental Risk Reduction Initiative (GERRI). The organisations were behind advocacy forum on women’s economic empowerment in conflict-impacted communities under the POWER project.
The forum brought together key government ministries and civil society organisations to address the structural barriers facing women in crisis-affected settings. The forum, convened in Makurdi, led to significant commitments from various state ministries and departments, including the Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD), SMEDAN, Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Women Affairs, Ministry of Trade and Investment, alongside representatives from civil society organizations and international organizations.
Pierre-Louis Bonnel from the French Embassy, who joined the forum virtually, said: “French Embassy reaffirms continued support for programmes that strengthen women’s economic participation as a cornerstone of sustainable peace and development in conflict-affected communities.”
Director General, Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD), Leonard-Angelo Viashima, highlighted the significance of working with the Benue Sexual and Referral Centre (SARC).
Statistician General, Benue State Bureau of Statistics, Kumafan Dzaan, promised to collaborate with RACE Centre and GERRI in advancing women’s economic empowerment initiatives through data collection and analysis support.
Coordinator, Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), Linda Dirisu also pledged the organization’s commitment to integrate women’s economic empowerment into agricultural development programmes. Ministry of Trade and Investment promised to create enabling policies for women entrepreneurs, while representatives from various financial institutions pledged committed to developing women-friendly financial products and services.
While welcoming participants, Executive Director, RACE Centre, Evelyn Ugbe, said: “According to the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix, 500,182 individuals are living in Benue IDP camps, with reports indicating an alarming rate of intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women in these settings.
“Women’s economic exclusion is not incidental but structural, serving as a driver of conflict.
When women are economically empowered, communities are safer, recovery is faster and peace is stronger. Women’s economic empowerment is not a development add-on, It is foundational for peace and security and recovery.”
The meeting also did a comprehensive needs assessment presentation. The assessment highlighted specific challenges facing women in conflict-affected areas of the state. The assessment revealed critical gaps in the process of accessing credit, accessing markets and in skills development opportunities, while documenting the disproportionate impacts of conflict on women’s economic activities.
Women representatives from various IDP camps shared their experiences. Their experiences were touching and pathetic. They told stories of how the situation was becoming impossible for them to cope with. They were, however, of high spirits, especially with what transpired at the forum.
They were certain that if fully implemented, the project holds answers to their dreams of restarting their businesses. They also made commitments to support the project’s objectives and serve as advocates within their respective communities.
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