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 modalities for funding during a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria.
Addressing the opening of a two-day meeting between the ECOWAS Commission and two of 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 force would form part of a 5,000-strong ESF Brigade, which also serves as the West African Brigade of the African Standby Force.
The 1,650 personnel will serve as a Rapid Deployment Force to support ECOWAS Member States in their fights against terrorism, Ambassador Musah stated.
He noted that West Africa’s conflict landscape is increasingly defined by terrorism and violent extremism, with threats spreading beyond the Sahel into coastal countries. He cited Mali as an example, where insurgent activities have shifted from the north toward central regions and western borders with Mauritania and Senegal.
Ambassador Musah emphasised that ECOWAS leaders had recognised 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 explained.
To ensure operational readiness, the TCEs will continue to provide training, including Staff Officers Courses (SOC) and Protection of Civilians (POC) programmes, in line with a capacity needs assessment conducted earlier this year.
Deputy Commandant of KAIPTC, Brigadier General Ziblim Bawa Ayorrogo, said the TCEs carried a “collective responsibility to remain responsive, innovative, and collaborative.”
He noted that the meeting aimed to identify synergies, exchange best practices, and strengthen a unified training ecosystem in support of ECOWAS’s peace and security mandate.
Ghana’s Representative of the ECOWAS President, Ambassador Muhammed Gana, added that the initiative comes at a critical time when insecurity in the Sahel is spilling over into coastal states. He called for “renewed political will to address root causes of instability” and stressed the need for proactive crisis management in a rapidly changing global order.
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.
