The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Security Experts have adopted a training policy document for the region’s standby force.
The document is to strengthen institutional and individual capacities to address complex challenges militating against peace and security in West Africa.
The Training Policy represents a significant milestone in the quest to design a strategic blueprint to harmonize and institutionalize ECOWAS Stand Force (ESF) training across all phases and personnel categories.
The policy specifies the kind and nature of training the Standby force will undergo to be able to fight against terrorism.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of a two day government experts’ validation meeting on the ECOWAS standby force training policy for peace support operations, the Acting Director, ECOWAS Peacekeeping and Regional Security, Dr. Sani Adamu, stressed that training has played critical roles in ECOWAS Peace Support Operations (PSO).
This explains the rationale behind the organisation’s considerable attention to both individual and collective training.
“This Training Policy was therefore developed as a strategic framework to institutionalize and harmonize standardised training of the ESF’s military, police, and civilian components. It is a manifestation of ECOWAS’ commitment to ensuring an interoperable standby force that operates in accordance with regional protocols, African Union doctrines, and international norms, including respect for human rights, international humanitarian law, gender inclusivity, and accountability,” he said.
According to Dr. Adamu, the ECOWAS region now has a working training policy document for its Standby force to effectively address security issues.
“The ECOWAS Commission, as you know, is systematically putting in place processes and procedures to be able to accompany our member states and to also have peace and security in our region to continue to thrive. It’s within this context that the ECOWAS Standby force training Policy for Peace Support Operations was elaborated, and the document now before the governmental experts were reviewed. The document was fully reviewed, evaluated, and eventually adopted by all of you,” he said.
Noting that: “What that symbolises is that from today’s henceforth, we have a standing document, a standard document for training of officers that are going for peace support operations,” he noted.
The Acting Director of ECOWAS Peacekeeping and Regional Security disclosed that Ministers of finance are meeting in Abuja, to discuss on the modalities of mobilising resources for the Standby Force.
“I want to also disclose to you that the Commission is putting in place processes so as to have the Ministers of Finance as well as Ministers of Peace and Security of the region to converge in Abuja to be able to discuss the modalities, the ways and means of mobilising the technical and financial resources that will allow for the activation of this Standby Force to actually be in place,” he disclosed
He also added that the Commission is working tirelessly to ensure that peace support operations across West Africa is strengthened.
“It’s also important to say that other processes are in place to see that a robust Standby Force that is capable and also able to confront the menace in the region is the vision of the authority.”
Hr also noted that all the contributing countries have made pledges.
The ECOWAS standby force was activated to address the rising insecurity in the West African Region.
Already, the regional body has activated its depot for deployment of soldiers for peace support operations.
The regional force, which is expected to comprise 5,000 troops, is part of a broader regional security strategy to curb terrorism and cross-border crimes.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), established the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in 2004. The ESF is central to ECOWAS’ Peace and Security Architecture and its broader vision for a secure and integrated West Africa by 2050.
The adopted document challenges all stakeholders and partners to unify efforts in building the region’s capacity for peace.
With this Policy, ECOWAS sets a course for excellence, resilience and regional leadership in Peace and Security Operations (PSO).