Development partners urged to strengthen peace & security collaboration with ECOWAS

The ECOWAS flagship peace and security project, supported by the European Union and other development partners has come to a close with stakeholders calling for the consolidation and sustainability of the project’s remarkable gains.

The Euro 29-million European Union Support to ECOWAS Regional Peace, Security and Stability Mandate Programme (ECOWAS-EU PSS Project), which was co-funded by the EU under its Regional Indicative Programme (RIP 10th EDF) and ECOWAS to the tune of Euro 27 million and Euro 2.33 million, respectively, recorded remarkable achievements both at the ECOWAS Commission and the Member States levels.

“Apart from laying a solid foundation for its successor ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO) program, the PSS Project also built synergy with the African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture, member States and also provided linkages with other Regional Economic Communities (RECs),” Dr. Sintiki UGBE, ECOWAS Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, said at the end-of-project workshop in Abuja on Friday.

Noting that the PSS Project had cut across various directorates including political affairs; social affairs and gender; peacekeeping and regional security; early warning; communication; monitoring and evaluation; external relations; finance and human resources among others, she thanked the EU, UNDP, Lite Africa, and civil society organizations, especially the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), for supporting the successful implementation of the project.

Dr. Sintiki also commended the project team at the ECOWAS and EU levels for their diligence and dedication to duty.

In the same vein, Mr. Dieudonne NIKIEMA, Manager ECOWAS Peace Fund and ECOWAS Coordinator of the Project stressed the need for structured consolidation of the achievements of the PSS project and the sustainability of its gains.

In her remarks, Mrs. Eno MOMA of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS said the 9-year project underscored the benefits of partnership cooperation between ECOWAS and the EU.

She expressed optimism that the EPSAO program would pick up from where the PSS project had left off towards deepening and broadening partnerships between the two regional organizations.

Mr. NIKIEMA summarized the achievements, impacts, challenges encountered, lessons learned and recommendations, while Mr. Vincent OKEKE, Team Leader and Institutional Development Specialist outlined the sustainability roadmap and the next steps post-PSS Project as well as the way forward.

There was also presentation of a condensed documentary on the project achievements.

Among the attendees were Mr. Philippe de HOLLAIN, the EU Finance and Procurement Specialist for the project as well as officials from the various ECOWAS directorates involved in the implementation of the project, which officially closes on 22nd November 2021, having substantially delivered its key objectives.https://thenewdawnliberia.com/ecowas-heads-of-state-to-hold-another-extraordinary-summit-on-the-political-situations-in-guinea-and-mali/