Author and lawyer, Richard Ali, is expanding his influence beyond literature to peacebuilding and conflict resolution with launch of Delimi PROSPER Project.
Named after the Delimi River in Plateau State, it stands for ‘Promoting Resource Optimisation and Sustainable Peace for Environmental Resilience’.
Ali, who has expertise on internal security, founded Engaging Borders SRD (Strategy, Research and Development) in 2021 as a nonprofit body.
It uses arts, media and dialogue to address violence, particularly in fragile communities affected by extremism and resource-based conflicts.
In the past four years, Engaging Borders has produced 30 stories and three short films in Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Kenya spotlighting the role of young people in de-escalating crises.
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These counter narrative projects emphasise “non-kinetic approaches” to peacebuilding where communities become catalysts for dialogue and resilience.
The Delimi Project targets farmer–herder clashes and related land and water disputes in Plateau and Kaduna states.
The project will train 60 young people, comprising 54 per cent women and 10 per cent persons with disabilities, in peace education, digital advocacy and conflict-sensitive storytelling.
It will also deliver a six-part podcast, two mini-documentaries and youth-led digital content pieces to counter misinformation online.
Ali said the initiative builds on his engagement in preventing and countering extremism, which has taken him across Africa, America and Europe.
He is now focusing his efforts in Kaduna and Plateau states, where he was raised and educated.
“Young people are at the centre of every conflict. They appear on all sides, as perpetrators and as victims, across genders and age groups, which is deeply troubling.
“To make young people allies in conflict de-escalation, we need to engage them where creativity and national duty meet.
“That requires careful listening and smart, strategic communication. This is the mindset that shapes all interventions we design,” he said.