Queeneth Tawo

Queeneth Tawo is the Regional Coordinator Women, Peace and Security (WPS) at the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) where she leads in policy changes/influencing as well as in the application of normative frameworks relating to women, peace and security. She coordinates WPS program activities at the regional office and provides program support across the 15 WANEP national networks in the region. Queeneth has over 20 years combined work experience in both public and private sectors. She veered into development work after 12 years in active journalism and since then, have had the privilege and the responsibility of working in diverse fields of peacebuilding and conflict management.

Prior to becoming the Regional Coordinator WPS, she held other positions in WANEP such as; Regional Coordinator Programs where she supported the WANEP regional program in collaborative peacebuilding and the national networks on program development and implementation. She led the promotion of WANEP visibility and reach in the public space as the Regional Coordinator Communications and Capacity Building. Previously, she worked as the Program Officer of the Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET) program of WANEP and was responsible for mobilizing and organizing a critical mass of women across the five geo-political zones of Nigeria to increase their participation in decision-making levels.

A passionate gender/women activist, Queeneth has presented several papers and conducted trainings in gender across various fields such as peacebuilding, early warning, conflict management, communication, dialogue and mediation among others. She also anchored a live radio program on diverse developmental topics. She was a founding member of the Kaduna Gender Forum, a platform for discussing and articulating gender-related issues. Under this platform, she actively participated in the advocacy for the passage of the Child Rights Bill in Kaduna state, Nigeria.

Queeneth holds a master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy, a B.A (Hons) degree in English/Education and a Certificate in Investigative Journalism from the ICF, Virginia, USA. She is a fellow of ISIS-WICCE, Uganda and belongs to several professional bodies. She has core expertise in Peacebuilding, early warning, communications, gender, dialogue and mediation, facilitation, training, research, community mobilization and advocacy. 

Region: West Africa - Nigeria
Area of Expertise: Women, Peace and Security, meaningful participation, community engagement, media and communications