ECOWAS Commission Embarks on Strategic APSA Mission to Strengthen Peace Architecture with AU.
By Raymond Enoch
in a strategic landmark bold step toward reinforcing continental peace and security cooperation, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission undertook a high-level coordination and benchmarking mission to the African Union Commission (AUC) headquarters in Addis Ababa from June 30 to July 4, 2025. The mission underscores ECOWAS’ unwavering commitment to deepening institutional synergy and strategic alignment with the African Union (AU) under the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA IV).
Led by senior officials from the ECOWAS Peace Fund and the Directorate of Financial Reporting and Grants, the delegation engaged directly with the AU Peace Fund, the APSA Support Programme Management Team, and other key stakeholders to drive forward a shared vision of peace, resilience, and data-driven security policy across the continent.
At the heart of the mission was a robust agenda focused on strengthening coordination frameworks in line with APSA IV priorities. The team explored how to harmonize operational and strategic mechanisms for greater impact in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and crisis response initiatives across Africa.
A key highlight of the discussions was the use of the African Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting Tool (AMERT). The two commissions exchanged insights on optimizing the tool to enable real-time data sharing, improved monitoring and evaluation systems, and streamlined reporting across institutions. The move is expected to bolster accountability and enhance performance measurement in joint peace and security programming.
Further engagements delved into operational benchmarking with the AU’s Compliance and Risk Management Units. Here, the focus was on fund mobilization, disbursement mechanisms, data management, and risk mitigation—areas seen as critical to scaling the effectiveness and sustainability of peacebuilding efforts. These sessions facilitated knowledge exchange on best practices and explored avenues for enhanced platform interoperability and technical capacity building.
By the end of the mission, both parties expressed strong commitment to deepening collaboration and fostering innovation in peace and security responses through institutional learning and technology-driven tools.
This landmark visit not only reaffirms ECOWAS’ strategic role in shaping regional security but also demonstrates the power of partnership and coordination in advancing Africa’s peace architecture. The outcomes of the mission are expected to inform future joint programming and pave the way for stronger, more integrated responses to peace and security challenges across the continent.
