The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has urged immediate, multi-stakeholder action to address the rising threat of communal conflicts harming farming and investment in the Niger Delta.
PIND made this call at a key roundtable it hosted in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, themed “Impact of Communal Conflicts on Agricultural Investments in the Niger Delta.”
The event brought together key stakeholders such as representatives of government institutions, the private sector, herder and farmer groups, civil society organisations, traditional rulers, development partners, and media professionals.
The roundtable was convened following alarming findings from PIND’s latest policy brief and Peace Map analysis, which recorded more than 800 fatalities linked to communal conflicts across the region between January 2014 and December 2024.
The conflicts were reportedly primarily driven by land disputes, poor governance, and socio-economic inequality and had led to the tragic loss of life and property and severely disrupted food systems, deterred agricultural investment, and eroded local livelihoods.
Speaking on the development, PIND’s Peacebuilding Programme Manager, Dr. David Udofia, said: “There is an urgent need to confront the nexus between conflict and underdevelopment. We must strengthen systems that promote peace and prosperity side by side. Agricultural investment can only thrive in a secure and stable environment.”
The participants noted that land-related disputes were among the most common and volatile causes of violence in the region, owing to land’s economic, social, and cultural significance.
Other key contributors to the escalating tension were inadequate enforcement of relevant policies, such as the ban on open grazing, and ineffective dispute resolution mechanisms.
Stakeholders raised concerns about the proliferation of arms, the increasing reliance on armed escorts to move agricultural goods, and the absence of reliable, disaggregated data.
PIND highlighted the Niger Delta Regional Peacebuilding Strategy (NDRPS) framework, developed through extensive multi-stakeholder collaboration and hosted by the Federal Government, as a critical pathway to ensuring lasting peace and agricultural security in the Niger Delta.
The foundation said that if fully implemented, the framework could help reduce land-related conflicts, restore community stability, and unlock greater regional economic potential.
The participants recommended strengthening early warning and response systems, such as PIND’s Peace Map; promoting peace impact investments that address both development and conflict risks; supporting policy reforms on land use, arms control, and open grazing; and building the capacity of community-based dispute resolution mechanisms among others as the solutions to the problems.
PIND called on the Ministry of Regional Development and state governments across the Niger Delta to take immediate steps toward launching and operationalizing this vital framework.
PIND further emphasised the importance of proactively engaging local communities, traditional institutions, and security agencies such as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to address agro-related conflicts and support peacebuilding efforts.
