ECOWAS ministers strategise on financing regional security force

Ministers of Defence and Finance from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, gathered in Abuja over the weekend to fine-tune the funding modalities for the regional counter terrorism force. The regional body has targeted 5000 standby Force to tackle security challenges in the West African region, with the body starting with 1,650 Force. […]

Ministers of Defence and Finance from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, gathered in Abuja over the weekend to fine-tune the funding modalities for the regional counter terrorism force.

The regional body has targeted 5000 standby Force to tackle security challenges in the West African region, with the body starting with 1,650 Force.

A Force of a 5,000-man brigade will cost the region US$ 2.61billion for the first year of taking off, while the region will have to cough out an estimated sum of US$ 481.5million for the 1,650-man brigade.

Speaking at the opening session, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, said that the emergence of terrorist group activities within and around West Africa has become a matter of serious concern to governments and citizens of the region.

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Touray stressed that all terrorists’ activities have serious implications for international trade and investment in the region.

He added: “The activities of terrorist groups could dismantle regional trade and the movement of people, goods, and services within and across the West African region, thus reducing economic and social interaction among ECOWAS states.

“In effect, terrorism in whatever form has been identified by ECOWAS leaders as a major threat to the integration effort of the body.”

“Faced with the reality of terrorism as a phenomenon in the ECOWAS region, the regional body has been actively engaged in counter-terrorism efforts, deploying a multi-faceted approach.

“The approach covers developing a comprehensive Counter-Terrorism Strategy and Implementation Plan, establishing a Standby Force, and fostering regional cooperation on intelligence sharing, training, and humanitarian interventions.”

The meeting looked at an impact assessment of the increase of the community levy on the economy of Member States and the cost-effectiveness of the options.