ECOWAS Commission Hosted The 7th And Final Steering Committee Meeting of the EPSAO Project.

The ECOWAS Commission hosted the 7th and Final Steering Committee Meeting of the Support to ECOWAS Peace Security and Governance – EPSAO project on 24th May 2024. The meeting aimed to share the outcomes of the Project’s final evaluation, present implementation achievements, and recommendations, as well as outline the next steps towards the upcoming   EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance project ((EPSG project).) scheduled to commence in August 2024.

The event was attended by various representatives from ECOWAS Commission, the European    Union Delegation in Nigeria, GIZ and various civil society organizations.

Mrs Céline Lhoste, Head of the Regional Cooperation Section of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, expressed her gratitude to the ECOWAS Commission for hosting the latest meeting of the Steering Committee of the EPSAO project. She highlighted the efforts of ECOWAS through the EPSAO project to assist Member States in strengthening mechanisms for the promotion and maintenance of peace and stability and recalled the security threats and challenges facing the region, such as terrorism, democratic backsliding, armed conflict and electoral violence, which stakeholders need to address collectively.

Dr Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs of the ECOWAS Commission, expressed her gratitude to the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany for their efforts in improving the security architecture and peace operations in the ECOWAS region through the EPSAO project. Through the EPSAO Programme, substantial support has been provided to ECOWAS in strengthening its capacity to prevent and manage conflicts. She also noted that certain initiatives and processes would continue into the next phase with the EPSG project, which was validated during the previous week’s technical committee meeting.

The EPSAO programme, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has been operational since February 2019. The programme focuses on enhancing peace, security, and regional stability. Active stakeholders involved in this support measure include the ECOWAS Standby Force, the Female Mediator Network (FEMWISE), the National Early Warning and Early Response Mechanism Centres, the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), and various civil society organizations.