The Search for Common Ground (SFCG), a Nigerian based non-governmental organization, is currently engaging journalists in Borno State in a two-day training on Conflict Transformation and Election Violence Prevention.

The training is to help develop the capacity of the media practitioners on the stated topic during the ongoing electioneering period.

SFCG is an organization that focuses on community-based conflicts’ early warning, prevention, and mitigation. It also promotes conflict-sensitive journalism training and related collaboration with media.

Speaking at the opening of the two days training, SFCG’s conflict analyst, Bukola Ademola, listed the objectives of the training to include, but not limited to “improve impartial observation, accurate reporting on, and recording of election vote totals by domestic electoral observers during and after election cycle.’

The training also intends to improve the management within partner CSOs in Nigeria and to “increase participation by marginalized groups in Nigerian political processes, with a focus on violence mitigation for 2019 polls.”

About 30 journalists and social media influencers were selected across different news organisations to participate in the exercise.

SFCG is supported by the USAID, UKAID and the National Democratic Institute.