Reverend Dr. James Movel Wuye and Imam Dr. Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa, the co-founders of the Interfaith Mediation Centre, a URI Cooperation Circle from Kaduna Nigeria, West Africa, received the first Commonwealth Peace Prize.
The inaugural Commonwealth Peace Prize was awarded to the two extraordinary peacemakers and religious leaders on Monday, 10 March 2025, by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Khalili Foundation for their unwavering commitment to nurturing peace, dialogue, reconciliation, healing, understanding and justice.
The inaugural award was presented to them during the Commonwealth Day reception held at Marlborough House in the UK. The theme for this year’s Commonwealth Day, ‘Together We Thrive’, celebrates the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth family – 56 independent member countries united by shared values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter.
The Commonwealth Peace Prize is part of a multi-phase collaboration between the Khalili Foundation and the Commonwealth Secretariat to support and amplify peace-building initiatives across the 56 member states. In addition to the award, which is being given out for the first time, the winners will also share £50,000 to expand their ongoing work.
The two religious leaders founded the Interfaith Mediation Centre in Nigeria nearly 30 years ago. The Interfaith Mediation Centre, which now has over 20,000 members, reaches into militias and gives guidance to young people to prevent them from joining conflicts. They also train women, religious figures and tribal leaders to become civic peace activists.
The Interfaith Mediation Centre aims to create a peaceful society in Nigeria and beyond, using a faith-based approach.
Their peace-building efforts have been featured in various documentary films on forgiveness and reconciliation, which have been showcased to global leaders at the United Nations headquarters, the UK House of Commons and other high-profile fora.
One film, An African Answer, supported by the United States Institute of Peace and the Initiative of Change UK, documented their mediation efforts in Kenya following the 2008 post-election tensions.
Rev. Wuye and Imam Ashafa have worked extensively in Nigeria and other African countries including Sudan, Somalia, Ghana, Burundi, Chad and Kenya.
They have also provided training and spoken internationally to promote peace, transform lives and inspire others.
They have received several international honours in addition to the Commonwealth Peace Prize, including the UN Gold Prize for World Interfaith Harmony Week and the Hessian Peace Prize, both in 2013.
The peace-building duo were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, and were finalists for the 2022 Opus Prize. They also received the inaugural Fondation Chirac Prize for Conflict Prevention in 2009 and numerous other local, regional and international awards.
Recognizing the outstanding work of Rev. Wuye and Imam Ashafa, United Religions Initiative-Africa also awarded them few years back the Golden Rule Award and appointed both of them as Goodwill Ambassador of the Golden Rule
May Peace Prevail on Earth
In peace and gratitude
