ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate Exchange and Assessment Mission to the Gambia National Early Warning Center
09 Sep, 2024An ECOWAS delegation, led by Dr. Onyinye Nkechi Onwuka, Acting Director of Early Warning, accompanied by Mr. Tunji Olonode, Information and Management Officer, concluded a successful two-day Assessment mission in The Gambia on September 5, 2024. The mission aimed to assess and evaluate the operations of The Gambia’s National Coordination Centre for Early Warning and Response Mechanism (NCCRM), a vital component of ECOWAS Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN).
During the mission, the ECOWAS delegation engaged in a productive technical meeting with the NCCRM team, and conducted a comprehensive assessment of the Center’s operations, achievements, and challenges. In addition, the mission organized a training session for ECOWARN Field Monitors and NCCRM analysts, focusing on critical aspects of data collection, reporting, and analysis using the ECOWARN Reporter platform. The mission also distributed laptops and accessories for operational support to the ECOWARN Field Monitors in the Gambia.
The delegation accompanied, by Madam Binta Singhateh, the Director of the NCCRM of The Gambia had the honor of an audience with His Excellency, the Vice President of The Gambia, H.E Muhammad Jallow. With the visit, Dr. Onwuka reaffirmed ECOWAS’s unwavering commitment to supporting the operational effectiveness of the National Early Warning centers, recognizing their pivotal role in supporting regional peace and stability. She also highlighted the upcoming Country Resilience and Human Security Assessment that the Gambian National Early Center will undertake, with technical assistance from the Early Warning Directorate and financial support from the African Development Bank.
The Vice President expressed his deep appreciation for ECOWAS’s ongoing support to The Gambia. He also announced his commitment to ensure that the Center has the necessary legal backing and to convene the next National Center Statutory Board meeting, a significant step under his administration.
Along with Permanent Secretary for the Trade Ministry Lamin Dampha, the delegation also paid courtesy visits to Minister of Trade Baboucarr Joof Baboucarr Joof, who reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to ensuring that the National Center has the necessary resources to carry out their mandate of providing the data and information required to support national activities pertaining to peace, stability and human security. The delegation also paid an official visit to the Secretary General of the Government, Madam Salimatta Touray, who further reiterated the resolve of the authorities to support early warning and conflict prevention mechanism in The Gambia.
ECOWAS remains dedicated to collaborating closely with member states to strengthen early warning and response mechanisms, contributing to a more secure and resilient West Africa.
