From 24 to 26 January 2022, the African Security Sector Network (ASSN), together with its partners, the ECOWAS Commission, ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations Project (EPSAO), co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ), is organizing a cross-sectoral workshop for critical stakeholders on the ECOWAS Security Sector Reform and Governance (SSRG) Policy Framework in Guinea Bissau. The workshop is being hosted at the Dunia Hotel in Bissau.
The main objective of the 3-day training workshop is to facilitate dissemination and promote awareness of the ECOWAS Policy Framework for SSRG, as mandated by the Authority of Heads of State and the Government of ECOWAS. The workshop is the first of a series of workshops supported by the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations, EPSAO-GIZ Project, to disseminate the ECOWAS Policy Framework for SSRG in the Member States.
The opening ceremony was attended by dignitaries from the government of Guinea Bissau, ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations. Participants at the workshop represented a blend of national security and justice institutions, ministries, civil society, and partners.
Col Mama Jaquite of Guinea Bissau’s Ministry of Defence opened the event on behalf of the government of Guinea Bissau. He encouraged participants to seize the opportunity granted them to critically engage in the discussions and take ownership of the process by identifying the peculiar reform needs of the country’s security sector and collectively recommending the next steps of action by the various national stakeholders in operationalizing the ECOWAS SSRG Policy Framework. He added that the citizens and the country are the ones to benefit from a successful SSRG process, so there is a need for national stakeholders to take ownership of the process entirely.
In recent times, Security Sector Reform and Governance (SSRG) has been universally acknowledged as an indispensable component of conflict prevention, peacebuilding and development agenda, as underscored by the adoption of the ECOWAS Policy Framework for SSRG (2016), the African Union (AU) Policy Framework on Security Sector Reform (2013), the United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution 2151 (2014), and the growing convergence among states and regional communities on the fundamentals of democratic governance of the security sector. At the regional level, the ECOWAS Policy Framework for SSRG promotes common security standards, regional security coordination and cooperation to tackle new and emerging security challenges effectively. At the national level, it complements nationally-led initiatives and promotes an enabling environment for the Member States to undertake reform and improve the governance of their security sectors. By initially supporting SSRG-related activities such as sensitization, dialogue, norm-setting, mapping and training, ECOWAS SSRG efforts pave the way for more profound national and local reform.
In August 2018, Governmental Experts of ECOWAS Member States met in Abuja considered and endorsed an Implementation Plan to the SSRG Policy Framework. They recommended steps by the Member States to institutionalize SSRG. Jointly with the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), ECOWAS Commission has also developed a Toolkit for SSRG in West Africa, offering practical guidance on critical aspects of security sector reform and governance to policymakers and practitioners, experts, and citizens alike. The recent launch of the ECOWAS Policy Framework for SSRG in Abuja on 9 November 2021 provides an impetus to consolidate gains by disseminating the principles and elements of SSRG, building the capacity of Member States security institutions and stakeholders, and supporting the Member States to improve their security sectors in a sustainable and sustained manner. Taken together, the SSRG Policy Framework, the Implementation Plan, and the Toolkit form a comprehensive package for supporting the Member States in their efforts to improve the security sector.