ECOWAS launches Pioneering country resilience and Human Security Assessment in West Africa

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its development partners have launched the Country Resilience and Human Security Assessment (CRHSA) in the ECOWAS Member States beginning with Nigeria on Monday May 27, 2024.

The initiative which is conducted by the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE) of Nigeria with close support with the ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate (EWD) marks a significant step forward in the collective efforts to enhance human security and resilience across the West African sub-region.

The CRHSA which kicked off in Nigeria is a collaborative effort involving various stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society organizations, and key partners in the international sphere.

They will provide a detailed analysis of human security dynamics within Nigeria, focusing on five key thematic areas: Security, Governance and Human Rights, Environment and Climate Change, Crime, Criminality and Health.

By leveraging data from the ECOWAS Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN) and conducting in-depth research with civil society implementing partners West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) it also offers critical insights into identifying prevailing and emerging challenges, and resilience factors of our communities.

During the Technical Scoping Workshop on Monday, the Acting Director of the Early Warning Directorate, ECOWAS Commission, Dr Onyinye Onwuka, underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation with national institutions in eleven Member States to facilitate the decentralization of early warning and response mechanisms.

The European Union Delegation represented by Mrs Enobong Moma, commended the cooperative endeavors among ECOWAS, the EU, and additional allies, emphasizing the pivotal moment in which West Africa and Nigeria presently find themselves.

The Director Office for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Nigeria Mr. Chris Ngwodo emphasized the role of national early warning centers in advancing human security and the necessity of empirical research to inform policy interventions. He highlighted the goal of identifying resilience factors to guide policy interventions aimed at mitigating human security threats in Nigeria.

According to him, “the CRHSA is a model we intend to replicate across the ECOWAS region, fostering collaboration between member states, the African Union, and other international partners”.

The CRHSA is expected to commence in Cote d’Ivoire on June 2nd and in Ghana on June 9th 2024.