ECOWAS Defence chiefs meet, review pledges for standby force

Credit: NAN

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff (CDS), are currently meeting in Abuja to among other things, review the pledges for the ECOWAS Standby Force.

The meeting being the 43rd, is being attended by the current members of the ECOWAS.

The Chiefs of Defence Staff in attendance are those of the Benin Republic, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo.

In his remarks, Nigeria’s CDS and Chairman of ECOWAS Committee of CDS, Gen. Christopher Musa, said the meeting was an evidence of a shared commitment and dedication towards fostering secured West Africa.

Musa said it also demonstrated a collective drive toward addressing the various security threats that had afflicted the ECOWAS region.

“As leaders of our respective armed/defence forces, we are aware that without a secure and conducive environment, economic growth and development will continue to elude our region.

“We must therefore support our political leadership by entrenching conducive and secure environment for economic development to thrive.

“Recognising that today’s threats are not only complex and adaptive, they pervade and in cases traverse countries in the sub-region.

“We must therefore commend the foresight of our past leaders for setting up this platform to leverage for collective action against a common threat.

“Accordingly, the complexity of the security landscape demands that we leverage our collective expertise, intelligence assets and coordinate our efforts across borders if we must solve these challenges, as the world has become a global village and the gap between us shrinking even more.

“Thus, collaboration is paramount and imperative to address both the root causes and symptoms of insecurity in our region,’’ he said.

Musa said the agenda for the meeting was carefully crafted to focus on critical areas such as the proposed review of pledges for the ECOWAS Standby Force.

He urged the participating nations to be frank in their discussions and presentations with a view to ensuring a safe, secured and prosperous West African Sub-region.

“As we embark on today’s discussions, I must remind all that your insights and experiences are paramount to our collective mission, while our sincerity and constructive commitments are essential for productive deliberations.

“To this end, I encourage us to enthusiastically exchange ideas and strategies during this meeting for the benefit of all,’’ he added.