The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced plans to deploy 1,650 personnel from its Standby Force (ESF) in 2026 as part of a new sub-regional counterterrorism initiative.
The decision follows an agreement by ECOWAS Ministers of Finance and Defence on funding modalities during a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day meeting between the ECOWAS Commission and its Training Centres of Excellence (TCEs) — the National Defence College (Nigeria) and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (Ghana) — on Monday, September 15, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, H.E. Abdel-Fatau Musah, said the deployment will form part of a 5,000-strong ESF Brigade, also serving as the West African Brigade of the African Standby Force.
The 1,650 personnel will act as a Rapid Deployment Force to support member states in the fight against terrorism. Ambassador Musah stressed that West Africa’s conflict landscape is increasingly shaped by terrorism and violent extremism, citing Mali as an example where insurgent activity has expanded beyond the north into central and western regions.
He emphasized that ECOWAS leaders had identified terrorism as an existential threat, resolving to scale up activities under the Peace and Security Architecture. “The decision by the Ministers, once approved, will set in motion the activation of the counterterrorism force, drawing on years of training by the TCEs,” he said.
To ensure operational readiness, the TCEs will continue to provide training, including Staff Officers Courses (SOC) and Protection of Civilians (POC) programmes, based on a capacity needs assessment conducted earlier this year.
Deputy Commandant of KAIPTC, Brigadier General Ziblim Bawa Ayorrogo, highlighted the responsibility of TCEs to remain “responsive, innovative, and collaborative,” while Ghana’s ECOWAS Representative, Ambassador Muhammed Gana, stressed the urgency of political will and proactive crisis management as insecurity from the Sahel spills into coastal states.
Other dignitaries present included Air Vice-Marshal Ayodele Ibrahim Hanidu, representing the Commandant of Nigeria’s National Defence College; Dr. Cyriaque Agnekethom, ECOWAS Director of Peacekeeping and Regional Security; and senior officials from ECOWAS, KAIPTC, and the NDC.
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