ECOWAS Council of the Wise Convenes Retreat to Address Current Governance and Security Challenges in the Region

The ECOWAS Council of the Wise has convened a two-day retreat in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to address the pressing governance, peace, and security challenges in the West African region. The retreat, themed "Leveraging and Responding to the Current Governance, Peace, Security Challenges in the Ecowas Region," aims to reinvigorate the council and enhance its role in promoting peace, security, and stability.

During the retreat, the council members will focus on various issues, including the resurgence of military coups, democratic reversals, electoral irregularities, political violence, and youth unemployment. These topics have been identified as key concerns by the ECOWAS Commission in its efforts to maintain political stability, peace, and democracy through dialogue and mediation.

At the opening of the retreat, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, HE Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, emphasized the commitment of the ECOWAS Commission to finding enduring solutions to the region's crises. He stated, "The ECOWAS Commission... is committed to find enduring solutions to the myriad of crisis affecting the region in collaboration with members of the ECOWAS Council of the Wise."

The Chairperson of the Council, Former President of Nigeria, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, declared the retreat open and called for the ECOWAS Commission's support for the Council of the Wise. President Jonathan urged, "The ECOWAS Commission... to support the Council of the Wise with adequate resources."

Representatives from the GiZ and the European Union Delegation in Cote d’Ivoire delivered goodwill messages at the retreat, which is also attended by the Permanent Representatives of the President of the ECOWAS Commission in Cote d’Ivoire and regional experts in peace and security. The Council of the Wise, comprising statesmen and women from the region, serves as a crucial platform for in-depth discussions on peace and security issues and provides wise counsel to the President of the Commission.

The first retreat of the Council of the Wise took place in February 2022 in Lagos, Nigeria. The current retreat is supported by the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO) Project, co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation, and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).