Abuja will, this week, host a high level National Summit on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), bringing together government, security agencies, civil society, and international partners to deliberate on emerging threats posed by violent extremism in Nigeria and the wider Sahel region.
The summit, scheduled to hold from Thursday, 25th to Saturday, 27th September 2025, at Lake Greenfield Hotel & Towers, Kado District, Abuja, is being organised by the PCVE Knowledge, Innovation, and Resource Hub (KIRH) and the PAVE Network, in collaboration with the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC–ONSA).
With the theme “The Evolving Landscape of Violent Extremism: Emerging Issues in Nigeria and the Sahel,” the gathering will provide a platform for national dialogue on the changing nature of violent extremism, while highlighting whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches needed to strengthen resilience and peacebuilding.
According to the organisers, the summit will review progress on the Policy Framework and National Action Plan (PF-NAP) for PCVE, validated earlier in September, and its implementation at state and local levels. It will also showcase the role of the PCVE KIRH in fostering knowledge generation, training, innovation, and collaboration.
Key features include a keynote address by the National Coordinator of NCTC/ONSA on the evolving landscape of violent extremism, and a lead paper presentation by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) on the urgency of a pan-Nigerian approach. The event will also feature high-level panels, thematic breakout sessions, action research presentations, and an exhibition of PCVE innovations such as digital hubs and collaborative learning tools.
Participants expected at the summit include federal and state officials, the military, law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, women and youth groups, religious leaders, academia, international development partners, and grassroots actors directly engaged in peacebuilding efforts.
Organisers noted that the summit will provide media opportunities to cover keynote sessions, engage with senior policymakers and frontline peacebuilders, and highlight compelling human-interest stories from communities affected by violent extremism.
They stressed that the summit is timely, given the evolving security and development challenges in Nigeria and the Sahel, and will serve as a significant platform for building stronger partnerships and charting solutions for resilience, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
Media accreditation and enquiries are to be directed to Senator Iroegbu, Media Consultant for the PAVE Network.