Human Rights and Business Roundtable: The Importance of Peacebuilding for Investment & Inclusive Development

The PIND Foundation and the Fund for Peace will facilitate a Roundtable for constructive dialogue focused on how peacebuilding can safeguard and enhance investment opportunities in the Niger Delta.

At over 450 billion dollars, Nigeria’s economy is the largest in Africa. And the engine of that economy is the Niger Delta region. Investment in the Niger Delta will promote livelihoods and opportunity there and in the country as a whole. This includes the oil sector, ICT, and strategic value chains such as palm oil, cassava, and aquaculture, among others.

However, to maintain and promote a positive enabling environment for the long-term profitability of investment, a vital component is peacebuilding. In situations of insecurity or potential conflict, strategic and coordinated peacebuilding efforts are key for de-risking investments and catalyzing broad-based sustainable development in the region.

To that end, partnerships with businesses, civil society, investors, and multilateral organizations can create synergies for early warning, risk assessments, Do-NO-Harm, and conflict-sensitive business practices that will ultimately lead to a more peaceful and profitable business environment for both companies and communities.

This Roundtable will focus on the positive impacts of years of investment and sustainable development in Nigeria, explore lessons learned to support corporations and development actors to invest in peacebuilding-development processes, and gather experiential evidence from panelists and audience on methods and impact of peacebuilding on investment and development.