The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission organized its annual retreat for field monitors of the ECOWAS Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN) in Lomé, Togo, from February 25 to 27, 2026. The event focused on reviewing data collection systems and addressing related challenges, with a view to reinforcing early warning capabilities and preventive measures across West Africa.
Dr. Onyinye Onwuka, Acting Director of the Early Warning Directorate, opened the retreat by thanking Vice-President H.E. Damtien L. Tchintchibidja for her leadership and support to both the Directorate and ECOWARN. Dr. Onwuka noted that the retreat “underscored the strategic importance that the Commission attaches to early warning as a central pillar of the regional peace and security architecture.”
Vice-President Tchintchibidja addressed participants about the region’s security challenges such as climate change, violent extremism, governance deficits, and transnational organized crime. She said: “The Commission’s commitment to preventive diplomacy is in line with the ECOWAS Vision 2050 framework,” emphasizing sustained grassroots engagement.
She urged field monitors to maintain professionalism and integrity while strengthening the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture.
The retreat took place amid evolving security concerns in West Africa, including environmental threats, community tensions, governance issues, and cross-border crime. In this context, ECOWARN remains vital for supporting preventive diplomacy efforts within ECOWAS’s conflict prevention mandate.
Field monitors were acknowledged as essential contributors to the system’s effectiveness. Their work was described as providing “the backbone of the system and the Commission’s ‘eyes and ears on the ground.’” The accuracy and timeliness of their reports are considered crucial for generating analysis that informs early warning trends and guides actions taken by ECOWAS and its partners.
During three days of meetings, participants aimed to enhance their technical skills through sessions on ECOWARN’s mandate, data collection methodologies, verification standards, ethical reporting practices, and use of analytical tools such as the Human Security Analysis Framework.
ECOWAS continues efforts to strengthen its early warning mechanisms in order to anticipate risks and promote stability in West Africa. The organization seeks greater cooperation among member states through harmonized policies in trade, transport, agriculture, infrastructure development, social programs covering 12 countries with regional ambitions—an approach highlighted on its official website. Its leadership structure includes a president supported by a vice president and commissioners; it has also increased transparency by launching a multilingual website in 2022.
The organization operates under a treaty granting authority to align economic frameworks among members using instruments like common external tariffs (source).