The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Conducts Needs Assessment Workshop with its Partner-Training Centres of Excellence and Institutes
The Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, ECOWAS Commission has begun a capacity needs assessment Workshop on the 8th of April 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria to build greater synergies with its Training Centres of Excellence (TCE) and Training Institutes (TI).
The Three-day Workshop is holding among others, to jointly identify the capacity gaps in aid of the delivery by TCEs and TIs, of improved services to ECOWAS and its member States, while also supporting the various ECOWAS Departments within the Framework of the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) project.
Declaring the Workshop opened, the ECOWAS’ Director, Peacekeeping and Regional Security (DPKRS), represented by Ag Head of Division, Peace Support Operations Dr. Sani Adamu, noted that a key focus of the EPSG is the strengthening of ECOWAS training infrastructure.
He further noted that the current and emerging security challenges ranging from insurgencies, terrorism and banditry calls for tailor – made trainings for our armed and security services in the region and hence a central role of the ECOWAS TCEs and TIs.
Also speaking, Teresa Krafft of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) who stood in for Yvonne Akpasom, the head, EPSG Project maintained that the EPSG project seeks to support ECOWAS in addressing security and governance challenges in West Africa by enhancing conflict early warning and response, security sector reform, electoral support, as well as women, youth, peace and security.
“This Workshop unites us with a shared goal of strengthening the cooperation system between ECOWAS and the Training Centres of Excellence to enable them to respond effectively to their core mandate and emerging challenges within the region” She added.
The workshop is convened to deliberate on the preliminary findings of the Capacity Needs Assessment that was conducted to examine the gaps that are crucial for the various TCEs and TIs.
The Workshop is being facilitated by Reverend John Nkum Associates. The new EPSG project which is an offshoot of the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO), is co-financed by the European Union&the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
