Human security experts from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Member States convened in Lomé, Togo, to evaluate a decade of the national early warning and response mechanism in West Africa. The symposium, running from June 2 to June 4, 2025, is part of the celebrations for ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary.
The event was officially opened by H.E. Ambassador Calixte Batossie Madjoulba, Minister for Security and Civil Protection of Togo, alongside H.E. Mrs. Damtien Tchintchibidja, Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission. Attendees included various dignitaries such as the ECOWAS Special Envoy for Counter-Terrorism and representatives from UNOWAS and WANEP.
Dr. Onyinye Onwuka, Acting Director of the ECOWAS Early Warning System, highlighted its operations which involve data collection on regional peace and security indicators across eight operational centers with four more underway. “Through the ECOWARN report, our field observers diligently collect data on 55 pre-defined regional peace and security indicators and 42 event types,” she stated.
Mrs. Tchintchibidja expressed gratitude towards President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe and reviewed key achievements such as collaboration with civil society organizations and integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). She emphasized that the symposium aims to assess progress, reinforce achievements, correct mistakes, and define future strategies.
In his address, Ambassador Madjoulba underscored the importance of early warning systems beyond technical devices as promises to prevent violence or disaster: “We need to build an ECOWAS capable of anticipating and responding effectively to crises.”
Throughout the three-day meeting, experts will review legal frameworks related to early warning mechanisms and propose improvements while setting new objectives considering current socio-political contexts in West Africa.