ECOWAS Set to Integrate Human Security Index at the Heart of West Africa’s Peace and Security Plan.
By Raymond Enoch
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has opened a crucial technical workshop in Lagos aimed at formally integrating its Human Security Index (HSI) into the regional peace and security architecture. The workshop, which kicked off on Monday, 17 November 2025 in Lagos, Nigeria, is designed to refine how the HSI will feed into ECOWAS’ early warning, prevention and response mechanisms across West Africa.
Speaking on behalf of the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Mrs. Damtien Larbli Tchintchibidja, the Acting Director of Early Warning, Dr. Onyinye Onwuka, described the Human Security Index as a “robust, multidimensional tool” for assessing and monitoring human security trends across Member States. She said the index is expected to provide decision-makers with timely, evidence-based insights on vulnerabilities affecting communities, thereby improving the quality and speed of ECOWAS’ responses to emerging threats.
Dr. Onwuka stressed that integrating the HSI into the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) will significantly strengthen the region’s capacity to anticipate risks, mitigate threats and respond more effectively to crises that undermine human security. She underscored the importance of deepened institutional collaboration, noting that protecting citizens from crime, conflict, disease, environmental threats and governance failures is fundamental to sustainable development in West Africa.
According to her, the Lagos workshop represents a major milestone in the pre-finalization phase of the index, which has been developed by the ECOWAS Directorate of Early Warning as a homegrown monitoring and decision-support tool. The Human Security Index is structured around five core thematic sectors: crime and criminality, health, environment, safety and security, and governance and human rights. Each of these pillars captures critical dimensions of people’s daily realities, from exposure to violence and insecurity to access to basic services and respect for fundamental freedoms.
By consolidating the technical progress achieved so far and building consensus among experts and stakeholders, ECOWAS hopes the workshop will pave the way for the seamless integration of the HSI into its broader peace, security and development framework. Officials say the ultimate goal is to make human security an operational priority rather than a mere policy aspiration in the region, ensuring that early warning systems and conflict prevention tools are firmly anchored in the lived experiences and needs of West Africa’s citizens.
