ECOWAS @ 50: Civil Society’s Crucial Role in Conflict Prevention.
By Raymond Enoch
As the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) celebrates its 50th anniversary, a parallel milestone is being honored: two decades of collaboration between the ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate (EWD) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across the region—a partnership hailed as central to peacebuilding and conflict prevention in West Africa.
From 17–19 September 2025, the ECOWAS Commission is hosting a high-level, three-day workshop in Abuja to mark this dual celebration. The event has brought together an impressive line-up of stakeholders, including senior representatives from the European Union, German Embassy, Nigerian government, and an array of civil society groups, to reflect on the impact of the EWD-CSO alliance.
In a welcome address delivered on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission Vice-President, Dr. Onyinye Onwuka, Acting Director of the Early Warning Directorate, highlighted the organisation’s “deepened constructive engagement” with CSOs, crediting them as indispensable partners in operational and structural conflict prevention.
“This 20-year journey with civil society has transformed early warning from data collection to real-time response and local ownership,” said Dr. Onwuka, referencing the 1999 Protocol on Conflict Prevention and the 2008 ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF) as the backbone of the partnership.
Key diplomatic voices at the event, including Mr. Massimo De Luca of the EU Delegation and Ms. Lea Schmidt of the German Embassy, echoed the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement in building a resilient and peaceful West Africa.
The Early Warning Directorate was established to detect and prevent conflict before escalation, and its collaboration with grassroots CSOs has proven instrumental in bridging the gap between regional strategy and local realities.
As ECOWAS looks ahead to its next 50 years, the success of this two-decade partnership signals a regional commitment to people-centered peace and security, powered by those closest to the ground.
