The Community Empowerment and Development Association (CEDA) primarily focuses on development through educating young people in Nigeria.
The Community Empowerment and Development Association (CEDA) Gombe was founded by volunteers, professionals and experts who are striving for development in their communities and societies, in Nigeria. Prior to the formation of CEDA, most members were actively engaged in development activities. CEDA was built around an agenda for promoting community empowerment, poverty reduction, institutional capacity building and reform activities aiming at development.
CEDA is committed to general development, arguing that development is overarching and not just sectoral. CEDA is also engaged in peacebuilding primarily aiming at:
- poverty reduction;
- sustainable management of natural resources;
- gender mainstreaming;
- promoting human rights;
- conflict prevention;
- good governance and democracy;
- strengthening local institutions as well as health and social institutions.
CEDA is running a youth peacebuilding project. Its overall purpose is to build healthier, stronger and more inclusive communities by increasing positive interactions between youth from different ethnic groups in Gombe. The project tries to create a space where open dialogue can take place between young people from communities with diverse cultural, religious, geographical and socio-economic backgrounds. It encourages young people to challenge stereotypes and generalisations.
Since 2010, CEDA is a member of the Civil Society Coalition of Disaster Risk Reduction.
CEDA is the only Gombe State representative of the Innovative Initiative for Community Peacebuilding which is anchored by the Women Environmental Programme Abuja and supported by the United Nations Development Programme and by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution. The Innovative Initiative for Community Peacebuilding is registered in the Corporate Affairs Commission.