The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has completed a high-level coordination and benchmarking mission to the African Union Commission (AUC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance joint implementation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA IV).
The week-long mission, held from June 30 to July 4, 2025, brought together strategic personnel from the ECOWAS Peace Fund and the Directorate of Financial Reporting and Grants, who held consultations with key units of the AUC, including the African Union Peace Fund, the APSA Support Programme Management Team, and various compliance and risk management offices.
According to ECOWAS, the primary goal of the mission was to strengthen institutional synergies and improve coordination frameworks between the two regional bodies in line with the objectives of APSA IV, a continental framework designed to advance peace, security, and stability in Africa.
Special emphasis was placed on adopting data-driven approaches to peacebuilding. Delegates focused on improving the use of the African Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting Tool (AMERT) to support seamless data sharing, effective monitoring, and enhanced evaluation among regional stakeholders.
In addition, the ECOWAS delegation benchmarked operational best practices in fund mobilization, compliance, risk management, and digital reporting systems. Discussions also explored strategies to enhance the interoperability of platforms and strengthen capacity building in the use of modern digital tools for conflict prevention and response.
The mission reflects ECOWAS’s continued commitment to regional peace initiatives and its alignment with the African Union’s broader peace and security objectives.
