Odita Sunday 
MWFAAN Awards 2026 Inter-Cohort Collaboration Grant to Haruna, Jennifer Alih for Middle Belt Peacebuilding Initiative
The Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria (MWFAAN) has awarded its 2026 Inter-Cohort Collaboration Grant to Abdullahi Ojoanyoni Haruna and Chief Jennifer Hembafan Alih for their peacebuilding project titled, “Escalation of Peace Building Through Strategic Interfaith Dialogue in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.”
The initiative emerged as one of the successful entries under the association’s alumni-led grant programme, which is designed to support high-impact, community-based interventions aimed at addressing critical social and developmental challenges across Nigeria.
According to MWFAAN, the project seeks to tackle the persistent ethno-religious tensions and communal conflicts that have continued to affect communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt, resulting in significant human, economic and social losses.
The association noted that the initiative combines strategic communications and community development approaches to foster peaceful coexistence, deepen interfaith understanding and establish sustainable grassroots conflict-resolution mechanisms.
It explained that the project is anchored on the belief that enduring peace is achieved through inclusive dialogue, trust-building and active community participation rather than top-down interventions.
Haruna, popularly known as Haruspice and holder of the traditional title of Oma Eju Ejeh Gaaku of Ankpa, is a strategic communications professional, award-winning compere, public affairs analyst and columnist with Leadership Newspaper.
He has published extensively in major national media platforms, including Premium Times, Daily Trust, TheCable, PRNigeria and AllAfrica. His professional work covers political communication, crisis management, digital influence and stakeholder engagement, with a focus on promoting national cohesion and accountability in governance.
His co-recipient, Chief Jennifer Hembafan Alih, who holds the traditional title of Ojamalia Odah of the Odah Ojiji Kingdom, Imane, Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, is a social entrepreneur, peace advocate and community development practitioner.
She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Julebrama Women and Children Initiative (JUWACI), a non-governmental organisation that has impacted over 918,975 beneficiaries across 21 communities through 83 development projects spanning rural livelihoods, education, healthcare awareness, peacebuilding and social inclusion.
JUWACI’s interventions are driven by the Hembafan Integrated Resilience Model (HIRM), a framework built on the premise that poverty, violence and educational exclusion are interconnected challenges requiring integrated solutions.
A member of the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship Class in Leadership and Civic Engagement at the University of Delaware, Chief Jennifer was also recognised with the Most Courageous Fellow Award of the 2025 fellowship cohort.
She brings more than a decade of grassroots development experience to the initiative and is the founder of The Victoria Show, an advocacy and media platform focused on violence prevention and gender justice. She is also the author of From Silence to Strength, serves as an Administrative Officer with the National Open University of Nigeria and is a Fellow of the Institute of Conflict Management and Negotiation Analysts (ICMNA).
MWFAAN stated that all beneficiaries of the 2026 grant cycle are required to complete their projects on or before July 31, 2026, in line with approved implementation schedules.
The association further directed beneficiaries to maintain full financial accountability, comply with programme branding requirements, submit comprehensive project reports and provide prior notification of implementation activities to facilitate media visibility and stakeholder engagement.
Other beneficiaries of the 2026 Inter-Cohort Collaboration Grant include Emonena Akwara for “Teach A Child About Health”; Michael Benjamin for “Community Digital Literacy Program for Rural Youth”; and Oluwatomisin Adeyefa for “From Soil to Start-Up: Economic Empowerment for Women with Disabilities.”
MWFAAN said its mission is to empower alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship to develop and implement community-based solutions to Nigeria’s social, economic and developmental challenges while promoting collaborative and values-driven leadership among members.
For media enquiries relating to Chief Jennifer Hembafan Alih and JUWACI, interested persons may contact the organisation via email at juwacinig@gmail.com, visit www.juwaci.org, or call +234 80 5555 4942.This version follows THISDAY’s straightforward news-reporting style—lead-focused, attribution-driven, institution-centred, and free of promotional language while preserving all substantive details.
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