The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has convened a High-Level Governmental Experts’ Validation Meeting in Abuja from July 16–17, 2025, to finalize and adopt a transformative Training Policy for Peace Support Operations.
This two-day strategic dialogue brings together national security experts from ECOWAS Member States, key technical directorates, and international partners such as the European Union, GIZ, BMZ, Expertise France, and AECID. The goal: to retool and harmonize the training architecture of the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) to enable swift, coordinated, and effective responses to the region’s growing security challenges.
The new policy lays out a unified training framework across military, police, and civilian components, anchored in principles of human rights, gender mainstreaming, and conflict prevention. It represents a significant milestone in ECOWAS’ broader Vision 2050, which seeks to establish a peaceful, resilient, and integrated West Africa.
According to ECOWAS officials, the policy is not just about operational readiness but also about deepening regional solidarity and reinforcing partnerships for sustainable peace.
