The International Association of World Peace Advocates (IAWPA) plans to mobilise international investment and development opportunities for Taraba State through the United Nations Investment Forum, scheduled to be held in Qatar in October 2026.
The organisation disclosed this at the commemoration of the 2026 World Peace Day in Jalingo, where it said Taraba would participate at the forum with the largest delegation.
The IAWPA World Peace President, Amb Per Stafsen, said the initiative was designed to expose the state to foreign investors, donors and international development partners, while creating opportunities for the state government, youths and civil society organisations to engage global institutions.
He explained that the organisation has designated Taraba as its North-East regional headquarters, and attributed the decision to the state’s improved security and peaceful environment.
Stafsen said that months of assessments conducted across northern states, in collaboration with civil society organisations, had identified Taraba as the most peaceful state in the North-East.
“As an international organisation, we will continue to partner with the government of Taraba State and provide international opportunities that will enable the state government, youths and CSOs to participate in international conferences anywhere in the world,” he said.
At the event, Governor Agbu Kefas, was presented with the “Best SDG Governor in Nigeria” award for his contribution to Sustainable Development Goals 16 and 17, while Gen. Theophilus Danjuma was honoured as the “Northern Lord Mayor of Peace.”
The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) and the Taraba State Bureau of Peace and Conflict Management also received institutional awards, while selected residents were recognised as Eminent Peace Ambassadors.
The IAWPA president, whose speech was delivered by the organisation’s spokesperson, Amb Emmanuel Nweke, commended Taraba’s civil society organisations for their participation in peacebuilding and urged the government to deepen their involvement in governance.
He also expressed the association’s readiness to sustain international peace programmes in the state.
Speaking on “Peace, Panacea for Growth and Development in Taraba State and Beyond,” Amb. Olusegun Ogunyanwo of the Mediation Training Institute said that peace remained a prerequisite for meaningful development.
He urged the state to invest more in its youth population and ensure greater participation of women in peacebuilding, warning that violent conflicts could create divisions that persist across generations.
Ogunyanwo advocated dialogue, mediation and restorative justice, which he said should encompass restoration, restitution, reconciliation and reintegration.
He further disclosed that he had secured a project endorsed by the Chief of Defence Staff to train 100 veterans from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with additional slots expected for Taraba to strengthen its peacebuilding capacity.
In his remarks, the chairman of the Taraba State Bureau of Peace and Conflict Management, Bishop Innocent Rubiruka Solomon, commended IAWPA for selecting Taraba for the International Peace Day activities.
Solomon pledged that the bureau would strengthen collaboration with stakeholders and the newly established Mediation Centre under Dr Usman Maulud to advance peace, security and inclusive development in the state.
