The dissemination of the ECOWAS Policy Framework for Security Sector Reform and Governance (SSRG) continued into the second member state in the ongoing pilot phase. From 21st to 23rd February 2022, the African Security Sector Network (ASSN), together with its partners, the 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 engaging cross-sectoral stakeholders in The Gambia at a 3-day workshop on the ECOWAS SSRG Policy Framework and its value in promoting peace, security and stability in The Gambia. The workshop is being hosted at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre in Banjul.
The workshop is the second in of a series of workshops supported by the EPSAO-GIZ Project, to disseminate the ECOWAS Policy Framework for SSRG in member states, with the aim of promoting awareness of the ECOWAS Policy Framework as mandated by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government. Dignitaries, policymakers, practitioners, officers of the armed forces and security services, experts from civil society organizations (CSOs), and development partners participated and made critical remarks during the opening. 
The Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment was duly represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Ebrima Sisawo, who warmly welcomed all participants to the workshop. According to Mr. Sisawo, the workshop is imperative because everything about a stable society today is hinged on security. He thanked the organisers for their astuteness in initiating such a timely programme at the period when The Gambia is embarking on the implementation of its SSR Strategy. He encouraged participants to seize the opportunity to build skills and gain the right competence to help The Gambia in the implementation of the National Security Policy so that they will be part of the success story of The Gambia.
Chief of Staff at the Office of National Security (ONS), Mr. Abraham K. Mendy, added that the workshop was long overdue given the prevailing and emerging security threats in the ECOWAS region. He underscored the need for interventions in reforming our security sectors not only for state needs but more importantly, for the security needs of citizens. He noted that the president, His Excellency Adama Barrow, highlighted the challenges of the security sector he inherited when he was elected since it did not represent the needs and aspirations of the Gambian people. Consequently, he called for collaboration and coordination in reforming the Gambian security sector in line with good governance and democratic principles. He urged participants to be open in sharing ideas to establish the kind of security sector The Gambia hopes to achieve.
Resident Representative of President of ECOWAS Commission in The Gambia, Madam Vabah K. Gayflor, acknowledged the participation of distinguished personalities at the workshop and extended the compliments of the ECOWAS Commission to them. She expressed her pleasure at having The Gambia as one of the first countries piloting the dissemination of the ECOWAS Policy Framework on SSRG. She further traced the trajectory of the Policy Framework since it was initiated in 2009 until its adoption in 2016, and commended ECOWAS for the supporting Implementation Plan developed in 2018 to facilitate implementation in member states. She also expressed gratitude to the Geneva Centre for Security Governance (DCAF) for assisting ECOWAS in the development of the Toolkits for Security Sector Reform in West Africa. Taken together, the SSRG Policy Framework, the Implementation Plan, and the Toolkit form a comprehensive package for supporting member states in their efforts to improve the security sector. Madam Gayflor clarified that the SSRG Policy Framework is not intended to replace national SSRG initiatives but rather, to complement such efforts. She thanked all partners including the ASSN for the workshop and concluded that the ground is now set for a better SSR agenda in The Gambia. 
Representing the GIZ, Ms Subetta Chansa, Senior Technical Advisor on SSR, indicated that over the past year, SSR has gathered momentum within the ECOWAS region as member states have sought to improve security in their countries. She encouraged all stakeholders to work collaboratively in domesticating and applying the principles of the Policy Framework as it represents the cornerstone of SSR in the region. She expressed hope that participants would dedicate their full presence to open and candid discussions over the three-day period.
The concluding remarks of the opening session were given by the Executive Secretary of ASSN, Prof Eboe Hutchful. Prof Hutchful observed that the launch of the ECOWAS SSRG workshop in The Gambia is gratifying for the ASSN as it is the first time the ASSN is hosting an event in The Gambia, though ASSN members have previously served and currently hold critical SSR positions in The Gambia. He expounded the nature of the ASSN and its credence in hands-on experience-sharing in the pursuit of SSR in the face of multifarious security challenges in the region. He expressed the ASSN’s admiration for The Gambia in articulating and adopting a National Security Policy and acknowledged the substantial SSR work ongoing in the country with the support of DCAF.