Designing and evaluating peacebuilding in Nigeria: the evidence of the institute for peace and conflict resolution

The study presents evidence of how the Nigeria’s Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) had designed and implemented peacebuilding and conflict prevention strategies in the country’s conflict dynamics since 2000. This is important because Nigeria is notorious for violence and its adverse effects have claimed several lives, displaced millions from their homes and livelihoods. Therefore, understanding the Institute’s approach at designing relevant peacebuilding and assessing its impact would go a long way to understand what had worked and what had not worked and why in Nigerian peacebuilding. Drawing from a wide range of sources to support qualitative and quantitative data, the study discovers peacebuilding activities that are relevant and appropriate to the underlying causes of violent conflict in the country. There is strong evidence to suggest that the peacestrategies were well implemented, but they did not go far enough to mitigate the threats or risks of violent conflict in Nigeria, as it often relapsed to violence as soon as it gained some respite. To achieve coherent, sustainable and long-term impact in peacebuilding, IPCR must scale up its interventions, promote community peacebuilding and institute follow up actions to all its implemented activities.