In partnership with the Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA), PEDEP introduced a Community-Based Advocacy Network in 2004. This program empowered local community members to use advocacy as a tool for democratic empowerment and peaceful conflict resolution. Through workshops and grassroots engagement, the initiative built a network of informed advocates committed to fostering peace and justice in the Niger Delta.
Dr. Naomi Akpan-Ita is an Independent International Development Consultant and the Founder and Executive Director of Impact for Change and Development (IMPACT), a non-governmental, non-proit organization based in Nigeria. She currently serves as the Regional Chancellor (West Africa) of the International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP).
Additionally, she is the Board Chair of the African Womens Active Non- violence Initiatives for Social Change, a continental initiative focused on Women, Peace, and Security. As a foundation member of the Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET), Dr. Akpan-Ita has had the privilege of serving on the Boards of several civil society organizations, including the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Nigeria), where she served for six years. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators of Nigeria (ICMC) and was actively involved in the training activities of the Institute.
Dr. Akpan-Ita is a seasoned trainer with over 20 years of experience in conducting training sessions at various levels, both locally and internationally. Her training has included working with women, children, youth, legislators, the police, the military, and other security sector actors. From 2008 to 2013, she was part of a core team of instructors engaged by AFRICOM to enhance the capacity of security sector actors in 12 countries across West Africa and the Sahel in the areas of peace and security.
Since 2006, Dr. Akpan-Ita has also served as an instructor at the Koi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Ghana as a faculty member of the West Africa Peace Institute (WAPI), where she has taught courses on Youth and Peace Education as well as Gender, Women, and Peacebuilding.
With a keen interest in research, Dr. Akpan-Ita holds a doctorate in Peace and Development Studies, with a scholarly focus on Security and Peacebuilding Training.
nakpanita@impactng.com
