Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment (LITE-Africa) and Presidential
Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM) with support from EU and ECOWAS is working to sensitize border communities, strengthening the capacity of
national security institutions on the border and arm stockpile management, armory security
and arms destruction, as well as the provision of alternative development livelihoods projects in the Action states of Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara, states in Nigeria to augment ECOWAS/EU Small Arms and Light Weapons
(SALW) Project efforts at preventing further proliferation of illicit trafficking and flow of
SALW in Nigeria.

The Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Action is being managed by LITE-Africa in collaboration with The Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM).  The SALW Action is titled “Management of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Nigeria”.  The SALW Action is a 24 monthly project, from November 2019 to November 2021.  The Action is funded by the European Union through the Economic Commission for the West African States (ECOWAS)

Overall Objective of this Action

To contribute to building and maintaining Peace, Security, and Stability in West Africa to ensure conditions of development.

Specific Objective

To support the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to execute its conflict prevention and resolution mandate in a sustainable way, notably by executing a shift from a reactive to a preventive mode in acquiring increased strategic, operational and management capacities.

The expected outputs of this activity include:

• Sensitization and Advocacy
• Support to PRESCOM for legal and regulatory status
• Weapons Collection, Registration and Destruction Exercise
• Implementation of Community-Based Micro Projects
• Implementation of alternative Livelihood support to the South-South regions (western axis) to prevent violent conflicts, and
• Institutional Capacity Strengthening

Planned Activities

• Development of communication strategy.
• Community engagement/town hall meetings with community members on sensitization, advocacy and assessment Re-Engagement, Stakeholders Forum and Needs Assessment Workshops in 7 Action states of Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara
• Production of information, education, and communication materials – T-shirts, face caps, billboards.
• High-level engagements with the National Assembly members and Executives arms of Government for PRESCOM to become a Commission.
• Capacity Building Training for Security Forces and relevant actors on SALW.
• Validation of mapping and Inventory exercise for locally manufactured Weapons and Fire Arms.
• Provision of Weapon collection facilities (mobile armories) in targeted communities and destruction of arms
• Conduct needs assessment missions /community engagements in target communities
• Weapons collection exercise in targeted regions
• Conduct 2 physical destruction of illicit SALW recovered from the selected Communities in collaboration with the Nigerian Military
• Implementation of community-based micro-projects
• Implementation of alternative livelihood support to the South-South regions (Western axis) to prevent violent conflict: Biometrics registration of beneficiaries, Livelihood survey, Livelihood training support, and provision of start-up equipment.
• Institutional capacity strengthening: Strengthening the institutional capacity of WAANSA Nigeria and other CSOs working on SALW

On-going activities

• Development of communication strategy.
• Community engagement/town hall meetings with community members on sensitization, advocacy and assessment Re-Engagement, Stakeholders Forum and Needs Assessment Workshops in 3 states of Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River, and Katsina.
• Production of information, education, and communication materials – T-shirts, face caps, handbills
• Capacity Building Training for Security Forces on Border Security and Management in the 6 geopolitical regions of Nigeria.
• Validation of mapping and Inventory exercise for locally manufactured Weapons and Fire Arms.
• Provision of Weapon collection facilities (mobile armories) in 7 Action states and destruction of arms
• Conduct needs assessment missions /community engagements in Akwa-Ibom and Cross-River states
• Weapons collection exercise in targeted regions
• Physical destruction of illicit SALW in Cross-River state.
• Implementation of alternative livelihood support to the South-South regions (Western axis) to prevent violent conflict: Biometrics registration of beneficiaries and Livelihood survey.