How donor dependence threatens women, peace, security plan in Kaduna – CLEEN

The CLEEN Foundation has raised concerns over the dependence on external donors to implement the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Kaduna state, warning that the absence of dedicated domestic funding could undermine the sustainability of the programme.

Programme director of the foundation, Dr Salaudeen Hasheem, disclosed this during a three-day state-level dialogue on gender-responsive policy and institutional practice in Kaduna.

Hasheem said while Kaduna had a Women, Peace and Security State Action Plan, the major challenge was no longer the existence of the framework but its translation into practical institutional action.

He identified inadequate budgeting, weak coordination, accountability gaps and the absence of dedicated domestic budget lines among the challenges affecting implementation across focal states.

According to him, effective implementation of the WPS agenda requires measurable outcomes and stronger institutional ownership rather than continued reliance on external support.

He said the framework was built around four key pillars—participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery—with women’s involvement in decision-making, peacebuilding and conflict-resolution processes central to sustainable peace.

Hasheem also stressed the need to strengthen protection mechanisms for women and girls against sexual and gender-based violence, particularly during emergencies and humanitarian crises, while prevention efforts should address factors contributing to violence and support local peace initiatives.

He added that relief and recovery programmes must be gender-sensitive and address the specific needs of women and girls affected by conflict and other emergencies.

The dialogue, organised by CLEEN Foundation with support from the Norwegian Government through the Norwegian Royal Embassy in Abuja, brought together government officials, security agencies, civil society organisations, women-led groups and other stakeholders.

Earlier, CLEEN Foundation Executive Director, Mr Peter Maduoma, represented by the foundation’s Senior Finance and Administration Manager, Mrs Justina Johnson, said Nigeria had established substantial policies and institutional frameworks for gender equality and women’s participation, but implementation remained a major challenge.

He attributed the gap to weak institutional ownership, inadequate resources, fragmented coordination, insufficient gender-disaggregated data, weak accountability mechanisms and uneven capacity among implementing institutions.

Maduoma said the dialogue was designed to move beyond awareness-raising by examining how gender commitments were reflected in institutional policies, budgets, programmes and operational practices.

He said the meeting would provide a platform for policy reflection, institutional accountability, evidence sharing and practical action planning, with participants expected to develop state-specific recommendations.

Also speaking, ACP Abdulkadir Yahaya of the Kaduna state Police command said addressing gender-related challenges required collective responsibility, stressing that no single institution could tackle the issues effectively without collaboration among security agencies, government, civil society and communities.

Meanwhile, a representative of the Kaduna state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, James Kanyip, disclosed that the ministry was constituting a stronger gender unit to improve its institutional response to gender-related issues.

Kanyip said collaboration with relevant stakeholders would be critical to improving access to justice and addressing challenges affecting women and other vulnerable groups.

The Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Kaduna state branch, Mrs Olufunke Bamikole, also called for stronger implementation of gender-responsive policies, urging relevant institutions to be adequately funded to protect the rights of women and children.

The three-day dialogue is expected to produce a Gender-Responsive Governance Action Matrix, state-level recommendations and a broader policy and practice report aimed at strengthening gender-responsive governance, peace, security and justice programming in Kaduna state.