WEST AFRICAN PEACE AND SECURITY INNOVATION (WAPSI) FORUM

THEME: IMPLICATIONS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON HUMAN SECURITY IN ECOWAS

DATE: 9TH – 10TH MARCH 2022

The welcome address was given by the president of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Jean Claude Kassi Brou. It was his view that we could harvest various ideas on how to salvage the ECOWAS union in this time of conflicts, insecurity, health challenges and the covid-19 pandemic with all their attendant consequences especially as it affects the cross cutting issues of gender and the most vulnerable in the Region.

In her goodwill message, Cécile Tassin-Pelzer, Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States, said COVID-19 exacerbated existing challenges in the region and also led to a surge in conflicts, unconstitutional takeover of government, proliferation of small arms, climate change, and the depletion of natural resources. She said ECOWAS has a big role to play on peace building and providing solutions to the existing problems in order to prevent more violent conflicts.

In his goodwill message, Ambassador Birgitt Ory, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Nigeria mentioned the effect of the pandemic on global economy and the most vulnerable in society. He expects WAPSI to provide ideas to tackle challenges and build bridges.

Two Reports were launched. These are “Dive into Research on Human Security, COVID-19, and Technology” and “Leveraging Technology for Peacebuilding in the ECOWAS Region Report.”

The speaker on the first Report highlighted six issues: Governance; Security; Economy; Environment; and Health. Cross cutting issues involved gender and the vulnerable in society.  

Recommendations for action included: Ensuring that all human insecurities are addresses by multi-sectoral approach; improving health infrastructure across countries; government’s response should be sensitive to the spectrum of people in the region especially the vulnerable in society; and the need to invest in local capacity so as to be able to respond to future pandemics.

The speaker on the second Report emphasized the use of technology for peace building; youth engagement for peace through the use of social media; strengthening of early warning systems and counter terrorism with digital technology; complimenting offline engagements with the internet; the challenges of poor electricity supply, poor connectivity, and the speed of dispersal of harmful narratives online.

The WAPSI forum made it abundantly clear that peace and security will continue to take centre stage for a long time to come. This underscores the need for continuous cooperation and a clear direction within the ECOWAS region.