The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its development partners have launched the Country Resilience and Human Security Assessment (CRHSA) in ECOWAS Member States, beginning with Nigeria on Monday, May 27, 2024.
The initiative, conducted by the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE) of Nigeria with close support from the ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate (EWD), marks a significant step forward in efforts to enhance human security and resilience across West Africa. The CRHSA is a collaborative effort involving various stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society organizations, and international partners.
The assessment 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 such as the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), it aims to offer critical insights into identifying prevailing and emerging challenges, as well as resilience factors within communities.
During the Technical Scoping Workshop on Monday, Dr. Onyinye Onwuka, Acting Director of the Early Warning Directorate at the ECOWAS Commission, underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation with national institutions in eleven Member States to facilitate the decentralization of early warning and response mechanisms.
Mrs. Enobong Moma from the European Union Delegation commended the cooperative endeavors among ECOWAS, the EU, and additional allies. She emphasized that this is a pivotal moment for West Africa and Nigeria.
Mr. Chris Ngwodo, Director of OSPRE Nigeria, emphasized the role of national early warning centers in advancing human security and highlighted the necessity of empirical research to inform policy interventions. He stated that “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.
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