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Seminar on Nigeria/Korea Relations, Leading to the Korea/Africa Summit
The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, had a Seminar on the Nigeria/Korea relations. The event took place at the Envoy Hotel Conference Room; Diplomatic Drive, Central Business District, Abuja. The Korean/Nigerian conference Seminar was one of the critical roadmaps leading to the Korea/Africa Summit scheduled to take place in June, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. The Seminar was aimed toward strengthening bilateral relations between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Korea vis-a-vis Africa at large. The seminar seeks to explore means of collaboration in the area of energy, agriculture, Industrialization and good governance. The seminar had in attendance high-level dignitaries both of African and Korean scholars from a range of quarters, including Federal Government of Nigeria (Ministries, Departments and Agencies- MDAs), members of Diplomatic communities, Organized Private Sector, Security Agencies, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) as well as the Media amongst others stakeholders.
PARTNERS: Embassy of the Republic of Korea
PARTNERS: Embassy of the Republic of Korea
Africa Regional Dialogue on: The Summit of the Future
The SCDDD in collaboration with Stimson Centre and Sponsorship from some donor agencies organized an African Regional Conference under the theme “The Africa We Want and the UN We Need” from 4th– 6th March 2024 in Abuja Nigeria. Eminent Africans from across the continent including DR. Donald Kebruka former President of Africa Development Bank, (who delivered the keynote Address), representatives of the UN and AU, members of the academia, Civil Society Organizations and Think-Tank Institutions attended the conference which was chaired by Prof. Ibrahim Gambari CFR. The SGF declared the conference opened on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. At the end, an African Research Network (ANUMDI), was established to follow up the recommendations adopted by the conference. The group moved on and participated at the UN Civil Society conference in Nairobi 9th – 10th May 2024, and presented the outcome of the conference and Abuja Declaration at a side event. It was at the Nairobi Conference that the Research Network’s name was coined as “THE AFRICAN NETWORK FOR UTAHITI MULKIN DUNIYA AND INNOVATIONS.” (ANUMDI).
PARTNERS: Stimson Centre, One Earth Future Foundation, Humanity United, the UN University, Global Governance Innovation Network, USIP, Foundation for European Progressive Studies, Global Challenges Foundation, SYNERGOS, Ox Farm, SDGs Kenya Forum, Institute for Economics and Peace
PARTNERS: Stimson Centre, One Earth Future Foundation, Humanity United, the UN University, Global Governance Innovation Network, USIP, Foundation for European Progressive Studies, Global Challenges Foundation, SYNERGOS, Ox Farm, SDGs Kenya Forum, Institute for Economics and Peace
Consultative Discussions on ECOWAS Sub-Region
The Centre also participated in two separate consultative discussions between the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs and few select organizations on the issue of review of Nigeria Foreign Policy. The other was on managing the military intervention in Niger Republic vis-à-vis the ECOWAS subsequent actions. The Centre’s recommendations were very helpful.
Capacity Building Enhancement for the NDDC Staff on Policy Making, Conflict Management and Security Assurances
From January – March 2023, the Centre provided training to 390 Middle-Senior Staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission on policy making, conflict management and security assurances. The training was in 4 locations – Calabar, Uyo, Yenegoa and Abuja. The training was successful.
PARTNERS: NDDC
PARTNERS: NDDC
Research on the Industrial Sector of Nigeria’s Economy
From March 2022 to October 2022, with funding from Overland Airlines, the Centre conducted a research on the Industrial Sector of Nigeria’s economy. Researchers travelled to many parts of the country except the North East and South East due to security threats, and visited many industries both opened and closed, to find out why the Nigeria’s Industrial Sector collapsed. A report on the findings of the Research is available.
PARTNERS: Overland Airlines
PARTNERS: Overland Airlines
National Security Summit
In May 2021, the House of Representatives organized a National Security Summit and invited the Centre to make a presentation on “Using Commendations and Cultural re-orientation to build peace and security in Nigeria.’ A paper was presented by the Centre and it was well received.
Training Retreat for Ministry of Aviation in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
In December 2020 the Centre conducted a Training Retreat for Senior Management Staff and head of Parastatals of the Ministry of Aviation in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State for one. The report of the Retreat together with recommendations was submitted to the Ministry in January, 2021.
PARTNERS: Ministry of Aviation
PARTNERS: Ministry of Aviation
Leadership Effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue II
The successful execution of LEAD I by the Centre convinced the MacArthur Foundation to approve an extension of the program for a four-year period from 2021 – 2024. The Centre also successfully executed the program with a lot of impacts particularly in the activities of the council of the wise headed by Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa.
PARTNERS: MacArthur Foundation
PARTNERS: MacArthur Foundation
Democracy Day Lecture on Challenges of Democracy in Nigeria
To commemorate the Democracy Day of 2020, the Centre initiated the Democracy Day lecture series on 12th June, 2021 during which three experts presented papers focused on the challenges of democracy in Nigeria. Nigerian’s foreign policy and the security situation. The report contained a member of useful recommendations that could advance deepening of democracy in Nigeria, review of its Foreign policy and help minimize the security challenges.
Continuous Engagement for National Unity (CENU)
Disturbed by the plethora of agitations and claims of marginalization, religious intolerance, ethnicity and other divisive tendencies frequently ventilated by individuals and groups within the country, the Centre in June 2020 designed a program it called Continuous Engagement for National Unity (CENU). The program aimed at providing a platform for continuous engagements for Nigerians to talk with each other for one year to foster National Unity. The program was proposed to some development partners and Sir Emeka Offor Foundation offered to support the project actively. Consequently, the Centre and the Foundation established implementation committees and agreed on a comprehensive structure and program of activities. An Advocacy and Mediation Council (AMC) under the chairmanship of General Yakubu Gowon GCFR with President Good luck Jonathan as deputy Chairman and other 10 prominent and respected Nigerians as members. The AMC was to travel to all the 6 Zone and conduct town hall meetings with stake holders to hear their grievance and submit a report with recommendations. The program was about to commence by October 2020 but unfortunately, the security situation was very serious with frequent meetings and abductions engulfing the entire country. Eventually, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation backed out of the project in 2021 and the Centre contained by appointing NGOs located in the zone to conduct the town hall meetings and on 64th June 2022 they presented their reports at a national conference in Abuja.
PARTNERS: Sir Emeka Offor Foundation
PARTNERS: Sir Emeka Offor Foundation
International Conference on Silencing the Guns
In February 2020 the Centre in collaboration with the AU APRM hosted an International Conference on Silencing the Guns. The conference was held at Continental Hotel (former Sheraton Hotel) and it was meant to ensure that all sources of light weapons and guns were blocked thereby preventing the proliferation of weapons in Africa and scaling down conflicts and criminality in the continent.
PARTNERS: AU APRM
PARTNERS: AU APRM
Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP)
SCDDD, alongside other consortium with support from United State Agency for International Development (USAID) is currently embarking on a five (5) year “Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP)” project, designed to mitigate violent conflict in at-risk communities in six states of Nigeria’s North West (Kaduna, Kano, and Katsina States) and North Central (Kogi, Benue and Plateau States), through an integrated, multifaceted activities. With the CIPP project which commenced in 2019, SCDDD is carrying out an in-depth desk review and evidence-based assessment activity on the relevant existing States and Federal policies vis-à-vis pending bills that could possibly influence conflicts in the project states for effective community engagement consultations.
PARTNERS: United State Agency for International Development (USAID)
PARTNERS: United State Agency for International Development (USAID)
Leadership Effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue (LEAD)
Leadership Effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue (LEAD) is a 2-year political accountability and open governance training project designed in 2018 by Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) and supported by MacArthur Foundation to re-conscientize, educate and ultimately, re-skill the aptitude of critical political influencers and critical stakeholders towards promoting open and accountable governance vis-à-vis advocating for good governance in Nigeria through, advocacy, training and capacity building as well as radio show. This project is deliberately conceived to enhance the knowledge and capacities of political parties, contesting candidates for 2019 Nigeria’s general election and ultimately the members of apolitical non-state actors, and instill in them the absolute necessity to be accountable for all their actions on behalf of the state. The project targeted: Kano, Kaduna, Rivers, Imo and Ogun States.
PARTNERS: MacArthur Foundation
PARTNERS: MacArthur Foundation
Management Retreat and Staff Training and Capacity Building Development Programme for NDPHCL
Similarly, Savannah Centre, with support from Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDHPC), organized one week Management Retreat and Staff Training and Capacity Building Development Programme for senior and middle management staff of NDPHCL in 2018 and 2019 respectively with the ultimate goal to further develop and re-skill staff capacity to meet the institution’s strategic objectives and also key into the PSRP framework towards improved energy production for economic growth and development.
PARTNERS: Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDHPC)
PARTNERS: Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDHPC)
Finding Pathways to the Insurgency in the Northeast and other Security Threats to Nigeria’s Safety and Survival
Concerned about the disappointing and deteriorating security situations in the Northeast as well as other threats to safety and survival of Nigeria informed decision by Savannah Centre, to convene interactive sessions in December 2018, on “Finding Pathways to the Insurgency in the Northeast and other Security Threats to Nigeria’s Safety and Survival”. The one-day session brought together some senior retired military officers, the Academia and retired Ambassadors, to freely discuss the obstacles to winning the war on insurgency, and other security challenges as well as recommending new pathways to assist the Federal Government and the Security Forces win both the war and peace in the Northeast principally and across the country with regards to other threats to Nigeria’s national interest.
Police-community Relations through Intelligence gathering for sustainable security in the North-East States of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY)
The Centre also carried out with support from Presidential Committee for North-East Initiative (PCNI) in 2018; a program that sought to strengthen Police-community Relations through Intelligence gathering for sustainable security in the North-East States of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) entailed interactive activities with local stakeholders that added value to intelligence gatherings that would ultimately impact on the overall security in the North-East especially in the three states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. The project embraced activities of suspicious individuals/groups, sharing intelligence in a very timely manner with relevant local authorities as to the basis for early warning which formed the foundation of early responses by the authorities. Based on findings from this work, the Centre started promoting the concept of Community governance and justice system which emphasized community policing as against community police.
Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP) and the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training (CEDDERT)
Desirous of new strategies that would guarantee future successes in the onerous task of restoration of public confidence in the ability of the Government to corruption, the SCDDD in collaboration with the Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP) and the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training (CEDDERT), organized in 2018, a 2-day roundtable discussions on “The Future of the Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria”. Its principal aim was to deepen the national conversation on the anti-corruption war, particularly in view of the persistent very low rating of Nigeria on Global Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International and to identify and critically analyze the observable gaps or weaknesses in the nation’s anti-corruption agencies and their strategies over the past 18 years, proffering solutions that would be the most appropriate tools for onward speedy, impartial. Just, effective and sustainable ways of synergizing all key stakeholders to relentlessly take ownership of the anti-corruption in Nigeria. The Chief Justice of Nigeria then, Justice Onogen in his presentation, advocated for the establishment of special courts to deal with cases of corruption.
The Need for Reenergizing the Military and other Security Forces to meet Urgent National Demand
In like manner, the Centre responded to a call on 22nd November, 2017, by the National Assembly House Committee on the Army for a public hearing on “The Need for Reenergizing the Military and other Security Forces to meet Urgent National Demand”. The Centre’s contributions constituted informed expert opinions on the issue. In the same vein the office of the National Security Adviser invited the Centre to the review of the National Security Strategy of 2014 where strong contributions which has led to a comprehensive overhaul of the National Security Strategy were made, however yet to be officially published.
Expert Group Meeting on “The Role of African Civil Society Organizations in Preventing Violent Extremism in Africa”
Savannah Centre in partnership with the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser of Africa (OSAA) held an Expert Group Meeting on “The Role of African Civil Society Organizations in Preventing Violent Extremism in Africa”. The EGM was aimed at providing a platform and impetus for meaningful deliberations, quality exchange of views, purposeful information sharing, and an in-depth discussion on the implementation of strategic plans of action in line with Savannah Centre’s and OSAA’s mandate and with the participation of Civil Society Organizations. The EGM examined new more effective responses to terrorism and violent extremism which best suits the affected countries or regions especially in the Sahel.
PARTNERS: United Nations Office of the Special Adviser of Africa (OSAA)
PARTNERS: United Nations Office of the Special Adviser of Africa (OSAA)
Rules of Engagement in the Armed Forces
On 11th– 15th September, 2017, Savannah responded to a public call from the Presidential Investigation Panel to review compliance of the Armed Forces with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement. The Centre responded with a memorandum on the Rules of Engagement in the Armed Forces, which has led to presidential directives to the Armed Forces to review their rules of engagement to accommodate the new realities.
PARTNERS: SCDDD
PARTNERS: SCDDD
Morocco’s Application for Full Membership of ECOWAS: A critical evaluation
The Savannah Centre’s focus is not only Nigeria but West Africa and rest of the continent. The Centre demonstrated this when it organized a one-day brainstorming session in 2017 to deliberate on “Morocco’s Application for Full Membership of ECOWAS”.
PARTNERS: SCDDD
PARTNERS: SCDDD
Policy, Monitoring and Dialogue (PMD) Series on four critical national questions
The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), with support from Ford Foundation, between August 1, 2016, and October 31, 2017, commissioned Policy Monitoring Dialogue Sessions on Nigeria’s Challenges. Those sessions of dialogues were aimed at creating platforms where issues of National concerns were discussed and Policy recommendations made to Government.
PARTNERS: Ford Foundation
PARTNERS: Ford Foundation
Democracy, Stability and Media Accountability Project (DESMAP)
A project designed to primarily push for reforms in journalism and media practices in Nigeria through sets of articulated advocacy/activities intended to; address the administrative and legal gaps that exist in the extant body of laws and code of ethics on journalism and media practice especially as they relate to the propagation of dangerous and hate speech.
PARTNERS: MacArthur Foundation
PARTNERS: MacArthur Foundation
Capacity Building for Kwara State Public Servants on: The Promotion and Management of Change in Governance.
The capacity building workshop conducted by the Government of Kwara State in collaboration with Savannah Centre for Diplomacy Democracy and Development, was generally designed to upscale the capacity and broaden the knowledge of participants to enhance their collaborative spirit and synergy in the satisfactory delivery of service.The capacity building workshop held for the public officers of Kwara State government was titled "The promotion and management of change in governance". Dr. Mahmoud Yayale Ahmed who was a former Head of Service of the Federation, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and former Honourable Minister of Defence, began the capacity building workshop defining what change means in governance. The topic he addressed was "The Challenges of Governance Under the Atmosphere of Change". Having served more than one regime, he shared his experience in diverse ways. He posited that Kwara State is endowed with human and abundant mineral resources which if properly harnessed should take Kwara State to greater heights.The workshop yielded various cross-cutting messages which are recommended for immediate, short and long term policy formulation and implementation by the State and Local Government.
PARTNERS: Kwara State Government
PARTNERS: Kwara State Government
Kogi State Retreat. Aimed at innovative strategies for the development of Kogi State
The SCDDD replicated a 3 – day retreat in Kogi State on “Innovative Strategies for the Development of Kogi State” in August 2016, aimed at collaborating with the State Government to generate more realistic or innovative ideas that would practically leverage on the States exploitable human and material resources and build capacities focused on learning from the lessons of the past to promote durable unity and peaceful co-existence among the multi-ethnic groups of the state for sustainable economic growth and development that would bring the State to a comparative development level with the rest of the federating units.
PARTNERS: Kogi State Government
PARTNERS: Kogi State Government
Nigeria’s 4th Republic: 17 Years of Democratic Governance in Africa’s Largest Democracy
In order to draw appropriate lessons from Nigeria’s democratic experience since the commencement of the Fourth Republic, the Savannah Centre convened a commemorative workshop marking “Nigeria’s 17 years of democratic governance” in May 2016.
PARTNERS: SCDDD
PARTNERS: SCDDD
Nasarawa State Retreat, aimed at sharpening the skills of Civil and Public servants in an era of change
The SCDDD carried out a 3 –day retreat in Nasarawa State for Commissioners, Special Advisers and Assistants, Principal Officers of the State Assembly, Permanent Secretaries and some CEOs of parastatals in December 2015.
PARTNERS: Nasarawa State Government
PARTNERS: Nasarawa State Government
Regional Workshop on Combating Insecurity and Violent Extremism in the Sahel: Implications for Socio-Economic Development
In November 2014, the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), hosted a “Regional Workshop on Combating Insecurity and Violent Extremism in the Sahel: Implications for Socio-Economic Development”.
PARTNERS: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
PARTNERS: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Council of the Wise
In August 2014, Savannah Centre, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, created a Council of the Wise consisting of elder statesmen who served as a trusted voice for the promotion of peaceful elections during Nigeria's 2015 elections.
PARTNERS: MacArthur Foundation
PARTNERS: MacArthur Foundation