The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) is set to formally seek the partnership of the Borno State Government for the establishment of Africa’s Peace City (APC), a landmark initiative aimed at transforming the once dreaded Sambisa Forest into one of Africa’s foremost centres for peace, human security, innovation and sustainable development.
The proposal, which will be presented to the Borno State Government, envisions the transformation of a landscape historically associated with violent extremism into a global symbol of resilience, productivity and African renewal.
According to the Executive Director of PeacePro, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the initiative is founded on a simple but profound philosophy: “Peace is not only protected by security; it is sustained by opportunity.”
He said that although Borno State has borne the scars of insurgency for more than a decade, the courage of its people, the sacrifices of Nigeria’s security forces and the commitment of successive governments have created a rare opportunity to build one of Africa’s greatest post-conflict success stories.
“History has already written the story of Sambisa as a theatre of conflict. We now have an opportunity to write a new chapter, one that tells the story of peace, innovation, investment and human progress,” Hamzat said.
PeacePro will request that the Borno State Government allocate a suitable portion of Sambisa Forest, or any other location it considers appropriate, for the development of the project.
The organisation said the choice of Sambisa is both strategic and deeply symbolic.
“For years, Sambisa Forest has represented one of the darkest chapters in Africa’s contemporary security history. Transforming part of that same landscape into Africa’s Peace City would send a powerful message to the world, that Africa does not merely recover from conflict; it transforms it into opportunity.”
Hamzat said the project would fundamentally change global perceptions of both Sambisa Forest and Borno State.
“The narrative must move from ‘the forest of conflict’ to ‘the forest of renewal.’ A place once synonymous with terrorism can become a destination for peace, education, technology, investment and human development.”
PeacePro noted that Sambisa’s strategic location, with links to Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe States and proximity to Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic, positions Africa’s Peace City to become a regional hub for peacebuilding, trade, research and cooperation across the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.
According to PeacePro, the project has the potential to attract significant domestic and international investment, generate thousands of jobs, strengthen food and energy security, promote technological advancement and reposition Nigeria as a continental leader in peace innovation and post conflict transformation.
“History remembers societies not only for the crises they endured but for the vision they created afterwards,” Hamzat said.
“Borno has demonstrated extraordinary resilience. Africa’s Peace City offers an opportunity to convert that resilience into a permanent legacy, a city where Africa proves to itself and to the world that peace is not only something to negotiate; it is something to build.”
PeacePro described the proposal as one of the most ambitious peacebuilding and regional development initiatives ever conceived in Africa, capable of redefining both the future of Borno State and the global narrative surrounding post-conflict recovery.
