Academic Associates PeaceWorks is a Nigerian nongovernmental, non-profit organization. It was established in 1988 and registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in 1999. The organization started with a small office in Lagos and now has the head office in Warri, Delta State. It has been working in Nigeria and West Africa in the areas of conflict management and peace education since 1992. 

Objectives of AAPW

• To build awareness of the need and possibilities of peace in society.
• To empower individuals and groups in building peace, through training and networking.
• To develop the framework for the peace process through action-oriented research and intervention in current or potential conflicts.

Funding

Academic Associates PeaceWorks received its initial funding from the British Council and DfID, and has expanded its funding base.  International donors include USAID, OTI, USIS, US Institute of Peace, Westminster Foundation, Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company, Shell Petroleum Development Corporation, Chevron/Texaco, ActionAid Ghana, Conciliation Resources, the Embassy of Switzerland, Royal Embassy of Netherlands, GTZ, German Embassy, EU MPP3, the MacArthur Foundation, DfID/UKAid, and the United Nations. 

Nigerian support has also come from the Federal Government of Nigeria, National Security Adviser, Rivers State Government, Nasarawa State Government, Delta State Government, Bayelsa State Government, the Federal Ministry of Information, the Nigeria Police, the National Orientation Agency, NNPC, NPDC, NDDC, National Television Authority, and Zangon Kataf and Tafawa Balewa Local Governments.

In building awareness of the need for peace, AAPW:

• Piloted a radio drama, entitled Peace House, which dealt with issues of ethnic and religious tolerance, interpersonal conflict, corruption and other social problems in an infotainment format.
• Produced a travelling theatre troupe of young Nigerians presenting a play entitled “Peace Offering” which focused on non-violent elections and toured 7 conflict-prone states, followed by performances on national television
• Works with the Federal Ministry of Information and various media organizations on media messages that promote peace and tolerance
• Worked with Search for Common Ground (based in Washington, D.C.) on a television drama, with cooperation from NTA and the Ministry of Information of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
• AAPW was responsible for outreach activities from the television drama, which give a voice to Nigerian youth

In helping to empower individuals and groups in building peace, through training and networking, AAPW has conducted:

• Over 250 skills-building workshops in various parts of Nigeria and northern Ghana.
• Training of 420 peace education teachers in 20 cities/towns throughout Nigeria and another 70 teachers in northern Ghana  
• Training of religious leaders; academic and nonteaching staff and students of 8 Nigerian universities
• Training for local government officials, youth leaders and elders in 15 local governments across the Niger Delta.
• Cross-cultural and conflict management training for staff of NLNG and SPDC
• Training of 600 top officers of the Nigeria Police in early warning signs of election conflict
• Conflict management training of all state and national directors of the National Orientation Agency
• Conflict management and strategic planning training for several State Houses of Assembly and members of the Executive branch
• Training of EU MPP3 staff and partner organizations in conflict-sensitive development
• In the form of action-oriented research, Academic Associates PeaceWorks:
• Began in 1997 to concentrate on specific violent communal conflicts.  Nine studies of such conflicts are included in our book “Community Conflicts in Nigeria”.
• Produced in 2002 another book on our 2-year intervention in Warri, “Conflict and Instability in the Niger Delta:  the Warri Case”
• Continues to conduct case studies as a preliminary step in any intervention.  Other case studies include: Takum, Soku/Elem Sangama/Oluasiri, Eleme/Okrika, Toto, and Warri 2003
• As part of the Niger Delta Peace and Security Secretariat conducted 7 Nigerian case studies and 4 international studies on corporate practices and conflict.  Also wrote on demobilization and reintegration of armed youth
• Research grounded Major Interventions over several years in the Tiv/Jukun problem in Wukari; Jukun/Kuteb crisis in Takum; the Itsekiri/Urhobo/Ijaw crisis in Warri; and the
• Ife/Modakeke issue in Osun State.  Lower key interventions include: Zangon Kataf, Tafawa Balewa, Ugep, Mangu/Bokkos, Igbo-Ora, Takum.  Interventions usually consist of:a case study;
• peace education for secondary schools;
• conflict management training for youth leaders and adult community leaders;
• Outward Bound-type peace camps for students, teachers and community leaders;
• training and institutional strengthening of women NGOs;
• conciliation support of the peace process;
• socio-cultural activities including community animation and peace festival.
• economic development activities