From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Kaduna State is set to welcome regional and national security experts, civil society leaders, and policymakers for the Northwest Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) Summit, scheduled for August 19-20, 2025, at the Yar’Adua Centre, Murtala Mohammed Square.
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The two-day summit is a collaborative initiative led by the National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA) alongside the PAVE Network.
Supporting partners include the Nigeria Early Youth and Innovation Fund (NEYIF) and funding from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF). The event is being organised by the PCVE Knowledge Innovation and Resource Hub (KIRH), which serves as a national technical and knowledge platform for countering violent extremism.
Chairperson of the PCVE Knowledge Innovation and Resource Hub’s Development and Management Team, Jaye Gaskia, described the summit as pivotal for uniting efforts across the northwest states. “The threats posed by violent extremism in the North West require urgent, innovative, and collaborative responses. This Summit is not just a meeting. It is a turning point in how we organize ourselves as a region to build resilience and sustain peace,” Gaskia said.
The summit will focus on refining draft PCVE plans tailored for each of the seven states in Nigeria’s northwest, ensuring these align with the national PCVE priorities. It also aims to establish a regional framework that will contribute to a unified security strategy for the region and enhance input into the ongoing national review of the PCVE Policy Framework and National Action Plan (PFNAP).
Highlighting the importance of grassroots involvement, Gaskia added, “We believe in the power of local actors. This Summit will provide an opportunity for community voices to directly influence the policy direction on PCVE in their respective states and as a region.”
The summit builds on previous groundwork such as the North West PCVE Training of Trainers program and the formation of the North West Community of Practice for PCVE Practitioners — platforms designed to strengthen local capacity and knowledge sharing.
The PCVE KIRH functions as a central repository for evidence-based knowledge and acts as a hub for collaboration among PCVE practitioners nationwide. The initiative, implemented in partnership with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) and backed by ActionAid Nigeria, exemplifies a multi-stakeholder approach to countering violent extremism.
The PAVE Network, a coalition of civil society organizations active in over 15 Nigerian states, plays a critical role by amplifying civil society perspectives within policy and program design at multiple levels.
Organizers anticipate that the summit will yield a clearer, more coordinated response across the northwest states to the unique violent extremism challenges facing the region and foster stronger regional integration in PCVE efforts.
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