North-West Regional Peace and Development Initiative (PDI) Program

INTRODUCTION

The North-West Regional Peace and Development Initiative (PDI) is the fundamental flagship programme of the North-West Regional Assembly. Following a situation analysis including population surveys, reference to communal liberalism, and sections 40, 41 and 266 of the bill to institute Regional and Local Authorities of December 24, 2019, it seemed pertinent to design a political economy project that will espouse the people’s culture. Moreover the bottom-up, people-centered development approach calls for citizen participation in initiating, planning, programming, budgeting, implementing, monitoring, following-up and evaluating. Further, a pro-poor political economy policy rhymes with African inclusivity and solidarity, but more importantly will solve deepening unemployment and build a local economy.

Since the putting in place of Regions in 2020, the North-West Regional Assembly as at June 2023, has in 11 plenary sessions, arrived at a total of 56 deliberations. And the key of all these deliberations is that with vision to build peace in the North-West Region through Community Decentralized activities and high intensity labor approach (HILA) that are community-driven. It is against this backdrop that the Peace and Development Initiative (PDI) was born with the putting in place of Peace and Development communities all across the 34 Sub Divisions in the seven divisions of the Region. During the seventh session of the North West Regional Assembly, the Regional Executive Council opted for a citizen participation approach in peace building. This is statutory as enshrined in sections 40 and 41 of the Bill to institute the General Code of Regional and Local Authorities, providing individuals (the citizens) the opportunity to influence public decision with regards to peace building and owning their development stride.

OBJECTIVE

The North-West Regional Assembly’s PDI program is a Region Wide people-centered community driven action for peace and development, with core objective to bond, rebrand, grow and secure safe and healthy communities.

SCOPE

The program is implemented through key tools like;

  • Advocacy seminars, dialogue, conciliation, mediation.
  • Socio-cultural arts, festivals and games/sports
  • Community initiated cash for work and/or volunteerism

STRUCTURE

The PDI program is carried out by Divisional and Sub Divisional committees (PDC) set in place. These PDCs bring on board representatives from administrative, religious and traditional authorities, elected, political, economic and social elites or mentors, cultural developmental and community based NGOs, State engineers and micro-finance institutions. These key stakeholders profile and act in consensus on various roles and responsibilities in the PDC.

PERSPECTIVE

Looking at the way forward, the North West Regional Assembly is committed to continue Focus group discussions on PDI core values; continue information, education and communication for behavioural change (IECBC); engage in advocacy for ownership of the North-West Development and Investment Fund (NOWEDIF); forge on with sensitization on the performance (result) based and bottom up paradigms of bill N0 024 of December 24, 2019 to institute Regional and Local Authorities and evaluation meetings by Regional PDC.

CONCLUSION

It is evident that commitment and continuous engagement of all stakeholders through the HILA bottom-top approach, is crucial in the construction of the new North-West Region, where everyone counts and is counted. In re-branding the Region, not only shall no one be left behind, but we all must build peace together in the spirit of our proverbial slogan “U na Mi, Mi na U, Wi bi Wi.”