Experts within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have advocated for increased funding to enhance the logistics necessary for effective Peace Support Operations (PSO) throughout the region.
The Experts on Standby Force (ESF) Logistics Concept, comprising representatives from ECOWAS Member States, emphasizes the critical role of robust logistical support in ensuring the success of these operations.
During the closing ceremony of the Experts Validation Meeting concerning the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) Logistics Concept and Logistics Depot Policies, Air Commodore Sampson Eyekosi, the Chairman of the meeting, articulated the necessity for member states to exploit their internal capabilities to effectively address the security challenges facing the region.
He underscored the importance of not relying solely on external assistance.
“Essential issues are about funding because you know everything centres around money. So one of the resolutions is encouraging the Commission on options to raise funds, bringing in the private sector, and encouraging member states to be able to support logistics that are required for operations. Member states contributing, private sector contributing and harnessing our abilities, not waiting for other parties to come and support us. Of course, we’ll still partner with them, but we must take ownership. We must take charge. Peace and security is first our responsibility. We must play our part before we expect others to support us”, Eyekosi said.
He also noted that other resolutions at the meeting were to leverage technology and Artificial Intelligence(AI) to tackle terrorism and violent extremism in the region.
“We also want to leverage technology and fight against counter-terrorism, insurgency and other threats we see, even climate change. We need technology for AI, artificial intelligence, drones, and other forms of technology. We need to harness them as much as possible, working as a whole of the community, bringing our expertise in early warning, humanitarian issues, youth and women, and everybody has a part to play so that we can ensure peace and security. And whenever there are operations also, we still need to work together. The media and other stakeholders must all work together, proper information dissemination, proper communication, so that we can achieve the aim of peace and security in West Africa,” he noted.
Eyekosi further gave an overview of the five-day gathering on the validation meeting on the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) Logistics Concept and Logistics Depot Policies.
“For the past five days, we’ve been able to brainstorm as experts in logistics, administration, project management, what the region needs for peace and security. When we go to operate peace support operations, logistics is crucial. The airport has been constructed physically in Sierra Leone. So we have now deliberated to perfect the documents that will guide day-to-day operations so that things are done seamlessly, everybody knows what they’re supposed to do, how much logistics will contribute together and how we employ them to support effective and efficient peace support operations in West Africa”, he explained.
Speaking on the use of peacekeeping equipment, Air Commodore Eyekosi, discouraged the idea of total reliance on foreign peacekeeping equipment, stressing the need to encourage local production of equipment.
“We cannot keep relying on foreign partners. Take Nigeria and other countries in West Africa for example. We have some level of local capacity to produce even basic things, uniforms, logistics equipment, using gas. For example, in Nigeria, we talk about CNG.
“We can use green and renewable energy so that we have less carbon footprints even when we deploy, We don’t want to pollute the place because we are operating there. In Nigeria, the presidential initiative on gas. We can export it even for peace and security operations in Nigeria. Our vehicles can run on gas during operations, our cooking, and our energy needs. So it’s interlinked in one way or the other. Weapons, of course, Daikon is there, but remember, it is tied to each country. You cannot force your weapon on any other person. But whenwe deploy with the equipment that we produce locally, our vehicle manufacturing companies of various types, we can buy from them and deploy with them weapons and food and everything. We need all the logistics. We need to tap from what we have first rather than importing from different countries. We can’t rely on them. We must rely on ourselves.”
Eyekosi said he is optimistic that the efforts will yield positive results in addressing the surging security challenges in West Africa.
“We need to work together, and this is what we are doing. The Standby Force has planning elements of this mixture. So you must have your head, and your organization in place first, and you start working on a process. There’s a roadmap, and this is one of which we have achieved the documentation.
“In Sierra Leone, there’s infrastructure in place now. The depot has been completed. We need to finance it, equip it and commission it formally so that it gets operationalized. So it’s a work in progress, and so far, in the whole process, we are making good progress. We need to carry our political masters, the heads of state and authority of governments in West Africa, and everybody along. It’s a whole-of-society approach. Every stakeholder plays a part in ensuring that we bring all our competencies, and our experiences, in one way or the other, including the media, to ensure that we have peace and security in West Africa and that the ECOWAS logistics depot becomes operational fully this year.”
The meeting focused on refining logistics frameworks essential for Peace Support Operations (PSO) across the region, drew delegates from member states of ECOWAS from their wealth of experience to comprehensively develop a policy document that aligned with contemporary security challenges as well as harmonising the documents with those of AU and UN.
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