ECOWAS, WANEP SIGN ANOTHER 5-YEAR MOU

The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) signed another five-year Memorandum of Understanding, MOU for the sustenance of the ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Network,
ECOWARN on August 2014. The MOU was formalized in a symbolic signing ceremony at a press conference held to mark the event on September 4, 2014 at the WANEP Regional office in Accra, Ghana.

The press conference was attended by key partners including Ms. Sena Boateng, Director of Regional Integration in the Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Levinia Addae Mensah, Director of Plans, Programmes, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre (KAIPTC), members of the print and electronic media as well as management and staff of WANEP. Ms. Boateng speaking on behalf of the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Hannah Tetteh, congratulated WANEP on the renewal of the MOU which she said was in recognition of the organizations’ giant strides in the promotion of peace and security
in the region. Based on this recognition, Ms. Boateng urged WANEP to take the lead in the development of a national early warning system for Ghana following on the approval by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS for the development and implementation of a National Early Warning Mechanism (NEWMS) in all member states.

Speaking in the same vein, Mrs. Levinia Addae-Mensah, Director of Plans and
Programmes, KAIPTC who represented the Commandant of KAIPTC also stated that the renewal of the MOU was a reflection of the hard work and relevance of WANEP’s role in the promotion of cooperative responses to conflicts and collaborative approach to peacebuilding in West Africa.
ECOWAS, WANEP SIGN ANOTHER 5-YEAR MOU
Images from the MOU signing: Picture above left, Mr. Bombande displays the signed MOU for the press. WANEP Executive Director, Mr. Emmanuel Bombande performing the symbolic signing of the MOU supported by WANEP Program Director, Mr. Chukwuemeka Eze. Above right, WANEP staff with invited guests at the event

In 2002, WANEP entered into a historic partnership with ECOWAS, which culminated in the signing of an MOU between the two institutions in 2004 on the operationalization of the ECOWAS early warning response network, ECOWARN and has been consistently renewed over the years. This current MOU, which is coming on the heels of the approval of National Early Warning Mechanisms (NEWMS) for all ECOWAS member states by the Authority of States and Governments, has once again demonstrated WANEP and ECOWAS commitment to the operationalization and sustenance of early warning and response systems in West Africa for another five years.