Nigeria Urged to Invest More in Peacebuilding Initiatives

On Thursday, during the 2026 Peace and Dialogue Awards in Abuja, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, the Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), called for increased investment in peacebuilding. He delivered a keynote lecture titled “Investing in Peace: A Collective Responsibility for Everyone,” emphasizing that the costs of failing to prevent conflicts far exceed the resources needed to maintain peace.

Ochogwu highlighted the necessity for Nigeria and other nations to shift from reactive measures to proactive investments in prevention, early warning systems, peace education, and community mediation. He pointed out that global military spending reached $2.4 trillion in 2024, while peacebuilding expenditures were below $60 billion.

He identified Nigeria's layered conflict challenges, including extremism, banditry, and resource conflicts, and warned against blanket responses. Ochogwu also noted that Nigeria lost over $14 billion to farmer-herder conflicts in five years and stressed that economic reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda could help mitigate conflict vulnerability.