AGS NEWS – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has begun a comprehensive assessment of resilience and human security across its member states, with Nigeria being the first to participate in this critical evaluation.

Funded by the European Union and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the initiative aims to better understand security dynamics, trends, and resilience structures that support human security in the region.

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At a technical session in Abuja on Monday, Chris Ngwodo, Director of the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Response in Nigeria, described the meeting as an inception dialogue for the assessment.

Ngwodo highlighted that the study will identify human security vulnerabilities and resilience factors within Nigeria.

“This study is being conducted across West Africa, with Nigeria as the first country to undertake it,” Ngwodo explained. “It aims to map human security vulnerabilities and resilience factors within our country.”

Ngwodo further stated, “We seek to understand the complex issues underlying conflicts and instability in Nigeria.

We aim to identify resilience factors that can help us combat these issues and gather empirical data to inform government policy interventions.”

The initiative builds on a previous human security vulnerability assessment from 2018, which was valuable for establishing early warning systems across West Africa, particularly in Nigeria.

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Ngwodo noted, “The findings from the previous assessment have been instrumental in setting up early warning systems.

This current exercise continues that line of inquiry, with plans to visit conflict hotspots and resilient areas to understand the factors contributing to their stability.”